Dark Requiem
by Dark Sympathy
Summary: A thriving planet now devoid of life and an expedition that has vanished seemingly into thin air. Something lurks in the shadows, stalking its' prey. No place to hide. All you can do is -RUN! Stargate AtlantisXAliens crossover. Rodney and Team whump!
1. Prologue

Okay, this is the most disturbing, sick, twisted, and demented story I have ever written - and that's saying something! The worst part of this was the fact that this story comes from a nightmare I just had. o.O I don't know why I dreamed this and frankly it's slightly disturbing that I did at all! I dreamed the entire prologue, and I just decided to go from there.

This is a Stargate: Atlantis crossover - with what, you'll probably figure out in the prologue, but if you don't oh well. It is my first attempt at a fanfiction in either shows.

I don't expect it to be very long, however as a full time college student and working part time, there will be long periods of time where I won't be able to update. So don't get mad!

Please review! I'd love to hear comments and feedback. Pretty please????

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYthing in this story except for the plot. So don't steal the only thing I'll ever be able to own...

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**_Dark Requiem_**

_Prologue_

It was dark and dank. The walls were covered in slime slowly dripping down the dark twisted walls. Ridges of what looked like coils stuck out of the wall, dipping and protruding, creating a deformed illusion.

The ground was also covered in the slim, hindering anything that walked on top of it. The ground was tilted slightly and was uneven, bumps and dirt dragged in from the outside littered the ground along with dark stains.

Lights flickered occasionally in the distance and inhuman shrieks could be heard resonating throughout the corridors. The overwhelming stench of decay and rot filled all the rooms but the carcasses were no where to be seen.

It felt completely alien.

To John, that wasn't something new. He had been to many different planets and places, but none had given him such a chill of horror and fear as this place had. There was just something so alien about it.

In his crouched position against the wall, he could see everything in front of him. His P-90 was fastened to him, held ready for anyone or anything. He knew there was something lurking in the darkness.

Something had killed the expedition.

There was another shriek from down the hall and he shuddered involuntarily. He was supposed to be on vacation right now, just relaxing in Atlantis. Why, he thought, why had he chosen to take this mission.

It was just supposed to be in and out. When first expedition of scientists failed to report in, Atlantis sent in a team to figure out what was wrong. When that team didn't return, his team was sent to recover them.

It appeared that they wouldn't be returning either.

There was a crackle in his earpiece returning him from his thoughts. Mckay was ranting to himself all the while cursing his laptop, the heavens, even John - Anything that came to his mind.

He had left his friend in the only secure area he could find. It was a barren room with only one way in. In normal circumstances he would have left Mckay in a room with at least two exits, but not today. One door meant only one way for the creatures to come - only one way to fight.

Mckay had created a make-shift camera to attach to Johns' gun so he could monitor what was happening with his laptop from afar. That way Mckay could see and warn him before something happened from a safe distance.

Safe. He bit his lip hard. He didn't know where Teyla and Ronon were and he couldn't contact them. All he had found so far was a bloody ear piece; nothing else. It was probably too much to hope for that they were still alive, but by God he wasn't going to leave them without finding out.

There was static, interrupting him from his thoughts before a strained voice came in. "I-I think I got the schematic of the building. You see that hole several yards away?"

John's eyes narrowed and quickly found the gaping hole. "Yeah," he whispered.

"You need to go down there."

"Are you sure?"

There was silence. "Of course I'm sure! I'm not just sitting here for the show. As much as I'd like to watch you make a fool of yourself we need to get the power on."

"Yeah, yeah," John whispered, making a quick glance around before moving stealthily towards the hole. "Don't get your panties in a twist."

Ignoring the sputtering coming from the other side, he maneuvered himself once again against the wall. "Tell me if you see anything." He turned the light on the gun back on and lowered it down the hole.

Slowly, he started to rotate it around. Then once more for extra measure.

"I don't see anything," came the hushed reply. "It looks like there's a lot of boxes down there, so they could be hiding."

"Damn," he growled. He peered down himself. "I'm going in anyway."

"Make sure to be quiet!"

"Yes mother," he quiped back. He grabbed the edge of the hole, making sure he had a steady grip, and slowly lowered himeslf down. His gun swung slightly, as he let go of it, allowing the strap to fall onto his shoulder.

The light from his gun swung to and fro illuminating patches of the dark ground.

With a deep breath, he let go and dropped to the ground. He immediately went into a crouch, grabbing his gun out in front of him, ready for any attack.

There was none.

Sweat dripped from his head and he resisted the urge to whip it. Slowly getting into a standing position, he looked around using the gun as a light.

"There!" shouted a voice in his ear. "Go back! Back! Back! Back!"

He slowly trailed his gun back until the voice commanded him to stop. "There! It's right there. Do you see it?"

Several yards in front of John was a large wall that had wires coming in and out of it. There was a black metal box hidden between the bigger wires that climbed the walls and hooked into power supplies.

With a chill, he noticed that the big wires were sliced open.

Taking one last glance around, he slowly walked over to the box. He yanked at the door, but it wouldn't open. Tucking his gun underneath his armpit, so that the camera was looking behind him, he grabbed a Swiss knife from his pocket and flipped out the knife.

The door was opened quickly and efficiently. It was a mess in there with wires of every shape and color jutting everywhere.

Glancing around again just to make sure it was clear, he grabbed the gun and pointed the camera at the wires. "Tell me what to do," he hissed.

There was a moment of silence from the other side. "Hang on - just - wait - got it!" The directions came fast and swiftly, Mckay only having to correct him a couple of times on several errors ("The blue! The blue! That's not blue! Are you colorblind?!" "It _was_ blue!" "Seafoam!" "You're horrible at giving directions." "Well deal with it!" "Is it too late to order another genius?" "Sorry, they're all on hold at the moment, you're just going to be stuck with me. The blue Sheppard!" "I _got_ it!").

"Now push the lever up."

"Roger that." Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he grabbed the lever and pulled it up. For a couple of seconds nothing happened and Johns' stomach sank. All this and it hadn't worked. What were they going to do now?

But the lights flickered and then turned on, illuminating the darkness of the corridors and rooms. The power was back on.

Grinning, Sheppard leaned his head against the box. "We did it Mckay. Now," he was cut off by a scream in his ear.

"JOHN! Behind you!"

Unconsciously he had allowed his gun to drop and dangle from his shoulder once again. The swinging gun had a perfect visual of what lurked behind him.

Swallowing the knot in his throat, he slowly reached down and grabbed his gun to face his adversary.

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Rodney could hear screaming and shouting on the other side of the radio. His hands shook, laying still just above the keyboard. The camera had gone out just as John had turned around. All he knew was that he couldn't see anything and that John was screaming.

"John?" he choked. "Are you still there? John? Oh God." He moaned, bringing his shaky hands up to his wan face. John was dying and he couldn't do anything about it.

Letting a soft sob through, he looked back at the computer. It hadn't done them much good this entire time, even with the portable camera. Maybe he could get the schematics going with the life sign detector. Maybe John was still alive?

There was an ominous creak from the ceiling making Rodney freeze. Wasn't there air ducts up there? He slowly lifted his head to look up, but nothing came crashing down on top of him. There was another creak.

He picked up the life sign detector, but dropped several seconds later, his shaking hands unable to hold it. For there, only several feet away showed another life sign.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," he chanted, scooping up his laptop and life sign detector. He had to get out of here. His P-90 was gone but he still had a hand gun. Checking to make sure he still had a couple rounds left, he slowly backed out of the room.

And bumped into something, dropping his gun in the process.

Letting out a surprised shriek, he whirled around to come face to face with Dr. Galeia. His eyes widened and he backed up slowly at the horrendous sight of the man.

Dr. Galeia was covered in blood - it stuck to his clothes, matted his hair down, and stained his teeth. His clothes were torn and he was missing a shoe. But what was most concerning to Rodney was how twitchy the doctor was and the insane gleam in his eyes.

"Dr. Galeia," Rondey stuttered, wide eyed. "Wha- what are you doing here?"

"I told them," he ranted, eyes never staying on one place for too long. "I told them all! But would they listen to me? No! They didn't! They called me crazy, tried to lock me up." His eyes now turned to Rodney. "But they all got what they deserved in the end. All of them." He started chuckling like a mad man.

"Look," Rodney started, raising his hands up, "we need to get out of here."

"You're doomed! You're all doomed! They're going to slice you and dice you and eat you." His eyes raked up and down Rodney's body. "You'll be a delicious treat. I think they'll eat you slowly."

"We-we need to get out of here," Rodney continued, voice cracking.

"No one's getting out!"

"Shh! They'll hear us! They'll come!"

"And they should!" Dr. Galeia advanced on Rodney, his demeanor changing suddenly. "You deserve to die! It's your fault we came here! All your fault! You are responsible for our deaths! You deserve to die!" He paused, looking up past Rodney's head, a twisted smile appearing on his face. "I will avenge them all!"

Rodney eyed the gun several feet away - it was just too far. He brought his laptop up as defense, but it was feeble and Dr. Galeia knew this. He attacked Rodney, pinning him against the wall. He reached above Rodneys' head.

The laptop came crashing down upon Dr. Galeias' head but it was already too late. The man had grabbed a coil from the ceiling and wrapped it around Rodneys' head.

The laptop hit Dr. Galeias' head again, this time making him lose his balance and crash to the floor. He started laughing manically. "I have avenged them!"

Rodney gasped, grabbing at the coil around his neck that was keeping his toes from reaching the floor. He kicked out in a vain attempt to squirm out, but he was fastened tight.

"I will watch you die," the crazed man cried. "You will die! You will suffer like I have!"

Dark spots danced along Rodneys' vision as he gasped for the life-saving air he so desperately needed. All he could do was watching helplessly as his attacker watched and laughed.

Slime fell from the ceiling, onto Rodneys' shoe, and he looked up to find a dark shape upon the wall.

There was a horrible hissing sound and more slime dropped.

Dr. Galeias' eyes were wide as he stared up at the menace. "We're all doomed!" he shrieked, backtracking like a crab upon the floor. "All doomed!"

The creature pounced, tearing and slicing at the man in front of it. Dr. Galeia was only able to muster some gurgles as his throat was torn out by the creatures' sharp teeth. Its' tail whipped around, stabbing into the rag doll body while its' hideously long claws sliced into pink flesh. All the meanwhile it was crunching down on bone and muscle.

Blood spurted everywhere, landing on Rodneys' pale face and on the walls, painting a demented picture. Rodney tried to lift his hands, but he couldn't move them. During the time he was attacked he had dropped his laptop, and now his only defense was several feet below him - too far out of reach.

The creature stopped tearing the man apart and turned towards Rodney. Blood fell freely from its' mouth, tail, and claws as it stalked towards him. He could see pieces of muscle still attached to its' claws as well as something that resembled an eyeball staring at him unseeing. It stopped several inches away from Rodneys' face, a horrible gurgling sound coming from deep within its' throat, almost as if it was sniffing him.

The saliva slime dropped from its' mouth, landing on Rodneys' foot and pants, and coating the floor. It slowly opened its' mouth and to Rodneys' horror, a second smaller mouth came out in place if the creatures tongue. The mouth had razor sharp teeth and bit the air infront of him.

Detachedly, Rodney watched as the creature reared its' body to attack. Silently crying, he waited to be torn to shreds.


	2. Chapter One

Sorry the update didn't come sooner! Gah. Hopefully some of you guys stayed around. I've pretty much got this story in the bag. During one of my classes I figured out everything I wanted to put in it and all the chapters - so all I need to do now is stay on top of this and write the darn chapters. This chapter will be short...Hopefully the next chapters won't be as short.

X Varda X - Thanks for being the first reviewer! I hadn't really thought of this as a Rodney whump fic, but then I thought about it...and evil things came to mind...so yeah. This story is Rodney's worst nightmare...Thanks for reviewing by the way. ;)

ElisaD263 - Thanks for reviewing! Sorry I didn't get this chapter uploaded sooner!

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or the crossover it's with....Speaking of that, has anyone figured out what the crossover is with? It should be pretty easy. Oh well. Anyway, I do own this plot though, so don't steal it.

Always remember to review!

Chapter one

_**5 hours earlier**_

The sky was beautiful. Purple, blue, and gray were splashed together like a painting to create the scenery that laid before John. From his position, sprawled on a lawn chair (that had been snuck in last visit to Earth), he could see the sky and the vast openness below it. The sea churned softly, small waves splashing against Atlantis producing a soft spray that tickled his face. A cool breeze came in from the North East caressing him.

It was a good day, John thought as he laid in his chair. He was alone on the balcony just enjoying the day and the scenery. A glass of water sat on the ground beside him and his radio laid forgotten beside it.

He was on vacation for at least three days.

He couldn't help but feel he was slightly forced into the vacation after Dr. Weir had found out he hadn't taken one in - well, a long time. But as he sunk lower into his chair, he couldn't help but enjoy it.

With a content sigh, he closed his eyes and just leaned back, letting the sounds of sea soothe him.

"Sheppard!"

John started, eyes snapping open. He looked around for the source but found no one near him. His eyes turned towards his radio and he reached out to grab it, but hesitated. He pondered momentarily whether or not he should really pick it up as he _was_ on vacation.

"Sheppard, answer the damn radio!"

John groaned and picked it up, placing it back in his ear. "Sheppard here. What seems to be the problem?"

"Finally!" came a familiar impatient voice. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Vacation. Remember?"

There was silence. "Oh, right." There was a moment where John could here his friend talking to someone else. "Well, you're not on vacation anymore."

John raised an eyebrow and sat up. "What's that supposed to mean? What's happened?"

"Something huge."

"Rodney, getting a paper cut is huge to you." He couldn't help but smile at the indignant squawk on the other side. "Look, where you?"

"The conference room."

"The conference room?"

"That's what I just said!"

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, when you say 'the conference room' like that you generally think it means 'the conference room?'."

John groaned. "Alright, alright. I'll be there in a couple minutes."

He looked back towards the beautiful sea and sky before letting out a long sigh. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

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There were four of them in the conference room. Dr. Weir sat at the end of the table, hands locked underneath her chin, her expression solemn and worried. Rodney and Zelenka were off on one side of the room arguing about some sort of audio feed that was on the tablet in front of them. Occasionally, one would steal said tablet from the other claiming that the other was an idiot, but it was generally shared between them with only minor qualms. It was obvious they had already been appraised of the situation as they had pointedly ignored Dr. Weir's explanation to John.

He leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed. "Disappeared? Like disappeared-disappeared, or just can't find them disappeared."

Dr. Weir sighed. "We couldn't find them at all. After they missed the check in we activated the probe but we couldn't find any clue as to where they went."

"And the campsite was deserted?"

"Yes. We couldn't get very accurate readings from the probe so I sent Major Lorne's team in to see if they couldn't find out what happened and where the expedition was."

"So, why are you telling me?" John asked, leaning back in his chair, staring intently at Dr. Weir. She had closed her eyes and had taken a deep breath.

"That was two hours ago. Major Lorne hasn't reported it since."

John felt a chill go down his spine. "You know how it is," he tried. "I'm sure he's still trying to rope up all the scientists."

"John."

He stopped. "What has the probe shown?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "Absolutely nothing. There is no sign of his team or the expedition."

"How many people were on the expedition?"

"Ten scientists and five military personnel."

"Only five?"

"It was thought to be a friendly planet."

"Right." John thought back to previous reports on M5S-687. "Wasn't there a village nearby? What are they doing?"

"They're gone as well."

John started. "What? An _entire_ village too?"

"Yes," Dr. Weir grimaced. "As far as we can tell they're all gone. The probe we sent covered the entire area, albeit superficially, and we saw no one. They're all gone."

John nodded his head slowly as he leaned back into his chair, absorbing the details. "Rescue mission?"

"Yes, I would like your team to go in to figure out where they went and get them out of there."

"Would like?"

"Your team doesn't have to do this mission. I know you are on vacation. I am only asking you to do so because of your previous experience in such affairs."

John nodded. "When can we leave?"

Dr. Weir smiled. "As soon as you get your team together and get the Puddle Jumper ready."

John stood up. "Don't worry, we'll herd the sheep back." He turned to leave, "Come on Rodney."

Rodney groaned, and stood up. "I can't believe we're sending him. I mean, he's talking about the scientists like we're sheep!" he griped.

"Well, you guys do tend to wander and graze a lot," John piped back.

"We aren't sheep!"

Dr. Weir leaned back in her chair, listening to the fading arguing as the two left. "Dr. Zelenka, have you discovered anything yet from the video transmission?"

Radek pushed his glasses up and put the tablet on the table. "No. So far most of our attempts have been unsuccessful." He fidgeted.

A raised eyebrow. "Most?"

"We did manage to get some audio moments before the taping stopped."

"Well, what was it?"

He swallowed thickly. "I-I shall show you." He pressed several buttons on the tablet before static roared and garbled noises shouted through the speakers on the tablet. They waited a moment, the static to loud to hear anything that was happening. Then they heard it.

Dr. Weirs' eyes widened as her face lost all color. Sinking down into the chair, she enclosed her face with her hands.

Tension rolled in the air as they just sat there, Elizabeth looking forlorn and Zelenka silent. Neither knew what the outcome would bring and neither could bring themselves to admit that something horrible had happened and that maybe -just maybe- it wouldn't be a rescue mission at all.

For what they had just heard through the static and interference were blood curling screams.

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"Life sign detectors?"

"Check."

"First aid kit?"

"Check."

"Guns?"

"Check."

"Oh, come on!" Rodney groaned, whirling around in his chair at the front of the Puddle Jumper. "Do we really need check all our equipment again?"

"One annoying scientist?" John said impishly.

"Check," came Ronans' rumbling voice.

Teyla placed a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "You know we must always make sure we have all the necessary equipment with us. It would be unwise to leave without doing so."

"Yup," John said. "Besides, we all know the one time we don't check will be the time we forgot something important."

Rodney just groaned and placed his head against his tablet. "This is going to take forever."

"Do not worry," Teyla said calmly. "We shall be leaving soon to look for the expedition and Major Lornes' team."

"Radios?"

"Check."

"I know that," Rodney snipped. "They probably just got stuck in that stupid complex they found the last time I talked to them."

"Complex?" Teyla questioned, tilting her head slightly to the side. "I do not believe I heard anything about this."

Rodney raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, uh, they found a complex a few kilometers from the village. They believed it was from the society that was there before them."

"Society before them?" John looked up from the pack he was looking in. "What society?"

Rodney groaned. "Don't you ever read the reports?"

John looked affronted. "Yes. But, you know, maybe the others haven't heard it yet."

"I read the report," Ronon replied.

John groaned.

"I was not able to," Teyla piped up, saving face for John who looked rather pleased. "Would you mind telling me?"

Rodney blinked. "Well Dr. Galeia and his team learned from the villagers that they actually came from another planet. They went through the Stargate when their planet started to die - something about Solar Flares. Anyway, so they found that planet, M5S-687, and settled there. It turns out there was a society there before them because the villagers found remains of buildings and stuff. Dr. Galeia and his team found a complex that was in pretty good shape and were going to explore it. That's the last I heard anyway."

"Do they know what happened to that society?" Teyla questioned.

"Uh, no. They haven't found any remains or anything." Rodney rolled his eyes. "Dr. Tello was looking forward to searching the complex to look for archeological remains. What kind of sicko looks forward to finding bones of dead people?"

"Is it not his job?" Teyla questioned.

"Yes, but bones!"

John rolled his eyes. "Not everyone wants to be a hypochondriac scientist that has an inflated ego."

Rodney glared at him. "Shouldn't you be - I don't know - checking to make sure we have everything?"

"Nope. We're done."

Rodney perked up. "Really?"

"Yes really. Now get out of my seat."

Rodney switched over to the seat next to the pilots chair as John sat down. Teyla and Ronon took the back seats, while John quickly looked over the control panel. "Sheppard to Atlantis. We are a go."

"Rodger that, wormhole engaged."

John maneuvered the ship down from the docking bay down in front of the Stargate. They could see Elizabeth on the other side of the glass looking out at them, one hand on the glass. "Good luck," she whispered.

They disappeared through the blue horizon, the wormhole winking out once they had reached their destination.


	3. Chapter Two

Yeah! I got this chapter out within a week! I feel so acomplished.

And yup! DeeDee69 got the prize. It's a crossover with Alien/Aliens and those other shows that has those nasty little critters in it. So yeah. I am having so much fun with this. ;)

To DeeDee69 : Thanks for the review! You rock!

So without further ado, I give you the next installment. It's not all that scary, at least I don't think. The next chapter will pick it up a lot. So just bear with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Stargate Atlantis or Aliens, but the plot is mine so don't steal!

Enjoy!

Chapter Two

_**4 Hours Earlier**_

Dark purple leaves crunched beneath Johns' feet, its' brittle shape breaking off into various smaller pieces. The ground beneath was a dark brown with almost a red-ish hue to it, making the leaves stand out even more. Trees stood proudly all around the campsite, surrounding it within its' thick embrace swaying rhythmically to the soft wind.

The campsite was deserted.

They had landed the Puddle Jumper in the center of the camp in a large clearing. There were boxes all around the area that had been filled with the latest supply shipments from Atlantis. The boxes were ripped to shreds however, their contents littering the ground all around the area, the items torn and discarded and unused.

Splitting up had seemed like a good idea at the time: John had taken the far left of the camp, Ronon the far right, and Rodney and Teyla took the mid section. However, the more he walked along the barren buildings in the deafening silence, the more he regretted his decision. The place gave him the creeps. Everything about it screamed of foul play

He stopped at the his third building and the largest on this side of the camp. The buildings had been specially made and built for the expedition. Apparently the situation was just too good to pass up: the natives were extremely friendly, the planets was what the scientists had wet dreams about, and the ancient race that had once lived upon the planet was fairly advanced. The buildings solidified the idea that they were here to stay for a while, but it appeared a while wasn't all that long.

Slowly opening the door, he held his gun at the ready for anything and anyone to jump out at him. Something serious was going on and it wouldn't do if he wasn't ready for anything. He stepped inside the darkened building and promptly tripped. He managed to get his footing and whirled around in time to see the door swing back and stop just shy of closing.

He turned on his flashlight and shined it down upon the ground. The wooden leg of a chair stuck out stopping the door from closing all the way. Panning his flashlight he noticed a variety of chairs and tables surrounding the door, appearing as though they had been moved in haste to clear an opening for the door. The tables and chairs were indented and distorted as if they had been broken by some force pushing them together. One chair was tied to the door stuck underneath the handle, giving John a clear picture of what they had been used for.

A barricade.

He felt a slight shiver go down his spine before he turned back to the rest of the building. He quickly surmised that it had been the mess hall as there were still two tables with several chairs in the room and there was what looked like a kitchen in the far back. The first table, the only one that was still upright, had a plate of moldy, half eaten bread on it as well as a glass of what looked like sour milk that had fallen, the contents splayed across the tabletop.

He scrunched his nose up with disgust.

"Sheppard!"

John froze at the shout that came from the radio. "Rodney?" Silence meet his inquiry. "Rodney answer!"

Silence.

He cursed and ran out the building running towards the general area he knew Rodney was in. His friend had taken the middle area closer to his side and he had to imagine that Rodney was a little bit slower than him in checking buildings so he would perhaps be a building behind. He ran into the first building he saw in Rodneys' area but didn't find him. The second building was no luck either.

The third building was fairly large, almost as large as the mess hall and when he opened it he was greeted to the sight of Rodney's P-90 laying on one of the counters. He hissed and brought his gun up, walking the rest of the way in wearily. The building appeared in pristine condition, the various equipment and tools frozen perfectly in time. A centrifuge sat proudly in the next room as well as several microscopes. It was the science building.

He walked over to the the equipment and frowned when he saw blood still on a glass strip in one of the microscopes.

Suddenly there was pressure on his shoulder and he whirled around, gun ready and came face to face with -

"Rodney!" John gasped, putting his gun down immediately. "What the hell? Why weren't you answering?"

Rodney just rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough to get here."

"If you would have just answered in the first place," John growled, eyes flashing dangerously. "And why is your gun on the counter?" He picked it up and waved it in front of Rodney. "What if something happened?"

"There's no one here," Rodney replied, taking the gun anyway from Johns' outstretched hands. "Trust me."

John sighed. "Why did you call me?"

"You need to see this."

John's interest peaked up as he followed Rodney through the science building. "I found the mess hall. There was some half-eaten food there. It looked as if they just stopped what they were doing."

"Yeah, I know," Rodney replied darkly, stopping at his apparent destination. He turned towards John, eyes narrowed. "All their research is still here. None of the data was taken or downloaded onto any kind of hard drive."

John blinked. "Okay?" From the look he was getting from Rodney he had a feeling he should know what that meant.

"Teyla called in and said that the armory was bare."

"So they took some weapons."

"All."

"And that has something to do with the research still being here?"

Rodney groaned, flinging his arms up much like he did when he was dealing with an incompetent worker. "This was a _science_ expedition. The scientists here are stubborn, especially when it comes to their work because their work is their life. And this planet was like the goldmine for scientists! The stuff they were getting here would revolutionize the science community."

John had a feeling he knew where this was going and he knew he didn't like it.

"The soldiers were outnumbered two to one on this expedition, Sheppard. They would never have left this precious data behind. This data was everything."

The building was suddenly cold. "And the fact that they not only left the data behind but also chose the weapons over it," Rodney shrugged.

"Something really bad must have happened," John finished. He looked back at the untouched data. "I think it's time we gather the rest of the gang and check out the village."

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They had left the jumper where they had parked it opting instead to take the trail through the forest to the village. It was a small trail that had been there when they had first arrived. The villagers had explained that the path had been created long before they had arrived, creating a solid trail from the village to the Stargate. The ground had once had a cement like substance marking the way, but it had cracked and chipped in various places and had since been covered by leaves and plants.

The village was a mammoth and a haunting display of the city that was and the village that is. Sleek black buildings rose up from the ground to sky rise heights, the buildings adorned with beautiful decorations carved as if to display a story. At their peak it would have been an amazing city, but time and ill-use had worn it down and all of the buildings had caved in. Some had tilted sideways, leaning amongst the trees while others had fallen completely horizontally. There were others where half of the building had fallen apart, leaving half still standing. From these ruins, new buildings were created, far less advanced than the buildings they jutted out from them. This was what the villagers considered home.

If they had been expecting anything different they were wrong.

The village was just as abandoned as the camp was. The marketplace was still open, the food moldy and sour, flies buzzing around getting their fill. Blacksmith and sewing equipment were stationary, half way through the jobs that had been placed before them. It was as if the entire village had stopped mid-thought and left.

It was the last building that put John on edge. It appeared as all the others had, abandoned and forgotten, until one took a second look. It appeared as if there had been many people in the small building at the same time. Food was hoarded in the back and all of the makeshift furniture was piled against the doors and windows but it looked as if they had failed. The furniture were busted inwards from its' original position. The oddest part of the scene before them were the small holes that seemed to liter the front of the room where the blockade was. It was almost as if parts of the wall and ground had melted down to the core.

"The mess hall was just like this," John stated, frowning at the room. "Minus the holes of course. But the tables and chairs were against the doors like a barricade."

"Against what?" Teyla questioned.

"The Wraith?"

"No," Ronon stated. "This wasn't the Wraith. This was something else."

"Something else?"

Ronon shrugged.

"Perhaps we should head back to the camp," Teyla spoke. "Maybe we missed something."

"There wasn't anything there," Rodney said, flinging his hands around. "It's just as abandoned as this place! As the entire planet!"

"You don't know that," John scolded.

"There weren't any birds."

John paused and turned towards Ronon, confused at the sudden turn in coversation. "What?"

"The report on this planet said it was full of birds and wildlife." Ronon peered back out into the forest from their current position in front of the building. "I didn't see or hear anything when we walked through the forest."

"Me either," Teyla replied. "Something is going on here. We should head back to the camp. Perhaps there is something in the data the expedition gathered that might explain what happened."

John nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. You and Rodney can go and look at that data while Ronon and I do another once over just in case we missed something. We'll meet you in the science building."

"Very well," Teyla said. "Be careful."

-------------------------------------------

Teyla stood at the end of the long table, her gun resting upon her shoulder. Off to the side Rodney was on his laptop downloading and sifting through the various data the expedition had collected. Deciding that she would be of no help to Rodney, she stood watch. Ronon was right. Everything was too calm, too quite.

She had seen the aftereffects of many cullings. The abandoned villages where occasionally a dry husk was found amongst the ruins, remains of those who weren't scooped up by the Darts. The feeling of despair and fear permeated throughout those villages, but this was different. This placed had an ominous feel that reached deep into her core. This fear here was different and that was what set her on edge.

She turned back to look at Rodney, who was typing furiously on his tablet. "Have you found anything of interest?"

"No," Rodney replied, not pausing in his work. "I haven't found anything that would explain what happened."

"Did you not say that Dr. Galeia and his team were going to check out the complex they found?" Teyla questioned, walking over to Rodney. "Perhaps there is something in the data about it?"

Rodney was silent for several seconds as he pulled up the report. Squinting, he leaned forward and read it. "They were planning on going deeper in today. It looks like they had already explored the first section of the complex. Dr. Galeia fell in a hole." He snorted in amusement.

"Was he okay?"

"Yes, just a bruised ego." Rodney smirked and brought up another report. "I think I found the report he wrote."

"Teyla, Rodney." John's voice came through the radio. His voice sounded strained and breathy. "Found anything?"

"Not yet," Teyla replied. "How about your end?"

"Yeah, the jackpot. I guess that means I win this round." Rodney sat up straighter, while Teyla frowned.

"What did you find?"

"One of the expedition."

Rodney gasped. "Who is it?"

"We don't know." Before Rodney could reply with a snarky comment, John continued, "She was freaking out so we had to knock her out."

"You finally see one of the expedition members and your first thought is to bash her head in?" Rodney griped.

"We couldn't calm her down." There was a grunt through the radio. "Look, we're almost there. Do you know where the medical building is?"

"Yes."

"We'll meet you there. Sheppard out."

Teyla turned towards Rodney, who's hands were hovering of the keyboard, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you done?"

"Yes. All the data was uploaded." He unhooked his tablet from the machines and stood up. "Lets go see what Sheppard has brought to show and tell."

John and Ronon had beat them to the medical building and had already set the woman down on one of the gurneys. Rodney had recognized her almost immediately as one of the new scientists. However, she looked as though she had better days. Her brown hair was uneven and frayed and there was a dark substance coating her hair and clothes. Her face was coated with a thin sheet of sweat and something else. Her arms were streaked with dry blood and bare skin could be seen through the various tears and holes in her clothes. Her shoes were out right missing.

"Who is she?" John asked, turning towards Rodney who just shrugged.

"Can't remember her name. I think it has a Linda ring to it or something."

John rolled his eyes.

"Where did you find her," Teyla questioned.

"She found us. We were going back through the trail and she just kinda ran into us. She was hysterical. Yelling about being chased and she tried to attack Ronon, which probably wasn't the smartest idea."

The girl stirred, moaning as she brought her hand up to her head. "Wh-what happened?"

"We were hoping you'd tell us."

The girls' eyes shot open and she bolted up into a sitting position. "Oh my God! We have to go! We have to go _now!_" She made to leap off the gurney, but Ronons' strong arms stopped her from doing it. "Let me go!" she shrieked.

"Hey! Calm down!" John jumped in and helped Ronon secure her to the gurney. "It's okay. We're here to help."

The girl turned her wide eyes to him, her chest heaving. "You can't help me! You can't help yourself!"

Teyla walked over and put her hand on the girls shoulder. "It is alright. You are safe here. We will return you back to Atlantis soon. Just please, we must know what happened."

The girl whimpered, but nodded reluctantly. "What do you want to know?" she asked, her voice tremulous.

"Lets start with your name," Teyla said soothingly.

"My-my name is Ellen."

John raised an eyebrow and leaned towards Rodney. "Linda?"

"Shut up!" was the hissing reply.

"Can you tell us where the others are?"

Ellens' eyes went wide again. "They're-they're. God, I don't know. They're probably still in the complex."

"The complex Dr. Galeia found?"

She nodded her head.

"Where in the complex?"

"I don't know," her eyes started to water. "I got separated and then - God - then." She shuddered, hand pressed tightly against her stomach. "I ran. I didn't try and find them. I need to back to Atlantis. I need to go now!"

"We need to find the others," John started, but Teyla stopped him.

"We should get Ellen back to Atlantis so they can look her over. She does not know where the others are so she wouldn't be of more help. She has told us all she knows."

John paused, bringing his hand up to his chin in a thinking position. "I guess we can do that. We can report on what we found while we're at it."

"We didn't find anything," Rodney grumbled.

"Still, since we're escorting Ellen back to Atlantis, we mine as well give them an update."

"Can you stand?" Teyla asked Ellen.

"Yes." Ellen immediately got to her feet, swaying a little bit as she did so. "We're going now."

"You heard the girl. Come on guys and girl, lets do some escorting."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Smooth one."

John shrugged. "I make it up as I go."

The light was shining brightly down when the got outside the building but none of them paid any attention as Ellen was rapidly deteriorating. Despite her ferociousness at getting off the planet she was losing steam fast. Her balance was off and she kept on bouncing between Ronon and John as she attempted to walk in a straight line. Sweat dripped from her brow from the effort and she was having trouble breathing.

"How far away is the Jumper?" Teyla questioned, worried eyes watching the girl.

"Not too far."

Ellen gasped and suddenly went rigid, her eyes wide and mouth open as if silently screaming.

"Ellen?" Teyla questioned, reaching a hand to the woman's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

At that moment Ellen seized, the force bringing her to her knees.

John managed to catch her before she landed on the hard ground, but it was keeping her down that was the problem. She bucked and kicked and clawed as her body twisted in agony. A scream torn through her lips.

"Kill me! Oh God just kill me!"

"Everything's going to be fine," Teyla said, trying to soothe her.

Her screams reached glass shattering proportions and suddenly her chest lurched upwards. Blood sprayed across their faces and pooled beneath her, but her screaming never stopped.

"Holy Shit!" John froze, dropping his hands from where he had been holding her down. He leaned away in time for her chest to lurch again, more blood splaying around her body, the red droplets looking like a finger painting.

All of them stared in shock as her chest gave a final lurch and a pink creature popped out, it's metalic teeth biting in the air. Ellen had gone silent now, her body twitching in her last throws of death. And the creature just stood there, half in and out of her stomach, sniffing and looking at it's new world.

John just stood there in shock, staring at the monstrosity. Okay, he definitely wasn't ready for this.

The creature made to move, but suddenly exploded, parts of its' body spraying out onto the people nearby.

John looked up numbly to see Ronon with his gun out. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Ronon growled, not moving his gun from where the creature had once been. "But there was no way it was going to live."

The trees shifted.

Teyla stiffened and stood up. "I think we should go now."

John looked up. "The Jumper?"

"Something closer."

"Didn't you say that the mess hall was barricaded at one time?"

"Yes," John raised an eyebrow, noticing how Ronon was now turned towards the forest that had suddenly gotten a lot darker. And were those shadows moving back there?

"I think we should go then. Now."


	4. Chapter Three

Yeah yeah. Read me the riot act. I seem to work better when I have schoolwork that I should be doing instead. Either way, I am still planning on finishing this. I am already working on the next chapter and I know exactly how I want it to go. I might plan on ditching some ideas in favor of just getting it finished.

Sorry again for the late reply. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up in a week or so.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. There. I said it. Are you happy now? -Cries-

* * *

**The trees shifted.**

**Teyla stiffened and stood up. "I think we should go now."**

**John looked up. "The Jumper?"**

**"Something closer."**

**"Didn't you say that the mess hall was barricaded at one time?"**

**"Yes," John raised an eyebrow, noticing how Ronon was now turned towards the forest that had suddenly gotten a lot darker. And were those shadows moving back there?**

**"I think we should go then. Now."**

Chapter Three

**1 Hour Earlier**

There was no war cry or inhuman shrieks. No rustling of the trees and brushes or snapping of twigs. There was only silence so loud that he could hear his own heart thumping wildly against his chest. It spoke in volumes about the things that were coming for them. It spoke of intelligence and an inter-communication that should not exist in such animals.

It was this that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. It was the thought that the creatures could function so well on such a basic level that made his legs pump faster. He couldn't see or hear them, but he could feel them just as if they were breathing down his neck. That primal fear of the unknown was what drove him, hands clenched tightly to Rodneys' vest as he dragged his friend behind him.

Ronon and Teyla were somewhere behind him. He did not know where, but he could feel their presence near him which allowed him to press forward without looking back.

He veered sharply at a junction, swerving around a small building that had just been put up not too long ago. The unexpected turn made Rodney shoot out and away, stumbling forward and in the wrong direction. He tightened his grip, ignoring the painful angle his wrist was making, jerking his friend back in on the right path.

He heard the indignant squawk but ignored it. His eyes saw salvation in the form of the mess hall. It loomed in the distance, the dwindling light fading behind it, casting its' light over the building like a Godsend.

They were almost there.

It came out of nowhere.

In an instant he was falling, the creature silent and quick. He let go of Rodneys' vest in favor of bringing his hands up to try and push the creature away. He landed harshly on the ground, his head hitting it hard, but he didn't have time to deal with the pain or shock. It was already on him, a myriad of teeth and claws, shrieking when he stopped its' gleaming teeth from sinking into his flesh.

There were shouts next to him; someone was screaming his name. A large sharp object smashed into the ground next to his head, barely missing his ear. For a split second he thought that one of Ronons' large knives had missed but after a second look, he realized that it was the things _tail_. It detached from the ground, rising up like snake ready to strike.

And holy shit is that _another mouth?_

The creature was suddenly torn away from him with such force that a chunk of his vest went with it, ripped apart by the things nails. It was shrieking and writhing next to him, a green substance oozing out of the place where its' neck used to be.

Ronon stood over it, face twisted in a hideous rage, eyes a lit. The large knife he had used dropped to the ground sizzling, half-of it already melted.

John blinked dully and slowly stood up. Rodney and Teyla were already next to him, staring down at the twitching corpse. Its' long finger like appendages curled reflexively, the sharp nails piercing through the air.

Its' body looked almost humanoid, deep ridges and crevasses creating an intricate design upon its' body. The black leathery skin almost looked like a suit, stretching thin over the bones and ridges. Long appendages started at the base of its' spine and trailed down the tail until the tail became smooth and sharp.

Its' head teetered from the unbalance of being half-decapitated, it's long skull acting as a balance weight. No eyes were visible, but it was the jaw that drew most of the attention. It was unhinged much like a snake, something small protruding out like a tongue but was clearly not. Its' teeth were silver like steel and looked equally as sharp.

"The fuck _is_ that?"

"I have never heard of such a creature," Teyla stated, eyeing the monstrosity apprehensively.

"So this is something new?" John asked, tilting his head to look at Teyla. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Rondey reaching down to inspect something near Ronons' feet.

"We should not stay here," Ronon rumbled, looking somewhere beyond them.

John tensed, peering behind him to where Ronon was looking. "Right." He grabbed Rodneys' vest again (who proceeded to protest that he could indeed move on his own, thank you very much) and started the jaunt towards the mess hall.

They reached the building without further incident and busted in. Teyla immediately started searching the area, trying to find any hint that one of those things resided within. John and Ronon were already re-barricading the door, forcing tables and chairs to come together in a disorganized pattern.

The door shuddered, bulging inwards. It let out a horrible noise, as the fibers of the door strained against the force. The blockade did its job however, and the door was stopped, holding its' place between them and the creatures outside.

John wiped sweat from his brow as he stepped back from the doors. His eyes immediately looked for his team, finding Ronon not too far from him, another knife ready to go. Rodney was a few feet behind him, staring despondently at the machine in his hands. Teyla was, "Teyla?" he called out, peering around.

She appeared from the back unharmed. "I found no other way for them to get in," she replied calmly, walking towards them.

He let out a soft sigh. "So, we're safe for now."

"What are you talking about?" Rodney squeaked. "Obviously this place isn't good if the others aren't still here."

John frowned slightly. "They left on their own," he started.

Rodney interrupted with a huff. "And _why_ do you think they left?"

"Perhaps they saw an opening," Teyla reasoned. "Those creatures did not attack us until we killed that," she paused, "that thing that came out of Ellen. Perhaps they believed the creatures were inactive again and left for the Stargate."

"They obviously didn't make it," he snipped half-heartedly.

"Come to think of it, Ellen said they were in that complex right?" John asked, not expecting an answer. "They must have realized they couldn't make it back and headed to the next best thing."

"Right, because clearly the next best thing is the place where _things come out of your freakin' chest_."

"We don't know if that's where _it_ happened," John pointed out.

"Well it didn't come from here now did it," Rondey said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Before that _thing _came out of her she said she had just come from that complex. It doesn't take a genius to put the clues together."

"She also said the others were still in the complex," Teyla said thoughtfully. "So there are other survivors."

"Right, and what makes you say that they didn't die the same way she did?"

"Rodney!" John was satisfied when Rodney immediately clamped his mouth and went back to sulking in the corner. "Teyla is right. Ellen did mention other survivors and even if for some reason they are in the same position as her," he sent a glare at Rodney, "we are still on a rescue mission."

"What do you suggest?" Teyla questioned.

"Well, first things first, we need to get to the Jumper." John looked back towards the door. "It shouldn't be too far from here and once we're airborne, we should be safe from those creatures. Then we can contact Atlantis and go from there."

"And how are we supposed to get through those things outside?" Rodney asked reluctantly.

"Well how does it look?" He nodded to the life-sign detector still clutched firmly in Rodneys' hands.

"Blue."

John frowned, eyes narrowing in confusion. "What?"

"Are you deaf now? I said it's blue."

"Let me see that." John walked over and snatched the device out of Rodneys' hands despite the protests. He stared blankly at the screen. "Huh, it's blue."

"I _told_ you. Now give that back!"

"Why is it blue?" John asked, handing the aforementioned device back. "Is it broke or something?"

"Blue means that there's something moving," Rodney explained.

"But it's all blue."

"Exactly."

John peered at him, confusion etched upon his face.

Teyla stepped forward, having put the pieces together already. "There are that many?"

"Yes," was Rodneys' glum reply.

"Oh." John paused. "_Oh_." He turned on Rodney. "How come we didn't detect them before if there were that many?"

"Wraith."

John jumped at Ronons' sudden declaration. "What?"

"Of course!" Rodneys' eyes lit up. "They must be able to hibernate or something like the Wraith which would explain why we didn't detect them before."

"That's comforting," John replied sarcastically. "So even if we wait for the dots to disappear, it might just be because they're sleeping?"

"That appears to be a possibility," Teyla responded.

"Damn," John scrunched his forehead, rubbing it thoughtfully with his hand. "So we need to rethink how we're going to get out of here."

His eyes danced across the building, taking in the surroundings. Every nook and cranny and object was inspected as he tried to put the pieces together to formulate a plan. His eyes fell upon the kitchen area.

"Wasn't there a door back there?"

"Yes," Teyla replied. "It is currently still barricaded."

"Okay!" John clapped his hands together. "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to un-barricade this door," he pointed to the door they had just finished putting a chair against, "and we're going to make all those creatures go to it while we sneak out through the kitchen door."

"A diversion," Teyla stated, nodding her head. "It could possible give us the time needed to get to the Jumper."

"I'll do it." Ronon stepped forward, withdrawing yet another knife.

"No," John argued. "I will do it. You three will head towards the Jumper when _I_ give the signal. I'll be right behind you."

Ronon stepped forward, eyes staring intently into Johns'. "I'm doing this."

Rodney huffed and stepped up next to the two, too attached to his own life to get in between. "Are we seriously going to argue all day about who's doing the suicide mission? I'll do it for you: Ronon, you'll be the distraction."

John spluttered. "What? Rodney! You can't do that."

"I just did." Rodney crossed his arms indignantly. "Ronon will be just fine. I mean did you see him take down that thing? Besides, we need someone to fly the Jumper and that would be you because I'm definitely not going to."

John deflated, slowly letting out air from his mouth. "Fine."

"Should we not wait?" Teyla questioned, as John and Ronon started to weaken the barrier.

"No," John grunted, pushing one of the tables aside. "Last thing we need is to wait for them to quite back down. We won't be able to track them that way."

Teyla paused, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "They did not attack as before when we were walking among them."

"Yeah, well we don't have the time to wait for them to settle down. And for all we know they won't now. The best chance we got is to get to the Jumper." John took a step back to reassess the door. "Now we just need to make noise."

Rodney seemed to notice how Johns' eyes went straight towards the kitchen. "Very primitive," he snipped. "_I_ have something better than meager pots and pans." He walked towards the front, laptop nestled in his hands.

John looked at the scientist in shock. He wanted to say 'how the hell did you keep a hold of that when we were running for our lives', but instead it came out: "What do you have in mind?"

A smug smirk grew upon Rodneys' face as he pressed a couple buttons on the device. Only a few seconds later, the device screeched. It pierced the air and Johns' eardrums and he could swear he could _see_ the air move around him.

John put his hands to his ears, watching as the others followed suit. "What the hell?"

"Found the function a while ago," Rodney explained, almost yelling in order to be heard over the noise. "It takes the background noise in the area and amplifies it."

The door behind them shuddered, making Rodney stop talking. More noise was added from the outside, inhuman shrieks and screams creating a cacophony of noise surrounding them.

"It's working," John yelled excitedly. It was hard to depict exactly where the noise was coming from but, judging from the repeated pounding on the door and the way dust and debris kept falling with every thud, he had a good idea. "On my mark you turn it off and we run to the back." He looked at Ronon. "I'll give you a signal to open remove that last table."

Ronon grunted, having not moved from his position near the door, knife out and ready.

Rodney hesitated, turning to Ronon with a calculating look. "Don't let its' blood touch you." At his Johns' raised eyebrow, he shrugged.

"Alright, folks, don't let their blood touch you." At the round of nods, John turned back to face the door. "Ready?"

"Go!"

Immediately the noise from the laptop ceased. The screams from the door had not stopped but rather instead intensified. It was still behind them as John led the way, with Rodney and Teyla on his tail. He skimmed past the kitchen counters and over to the door, opening it. He was half expecting one of those creatures to attack him, but was pleasantly surprised when nothing jumped out.

It only took him a second to get his bearings. Behind him he could already hear the screams and cries of their pursuers. He chanced a glance behind him, noting in relief that Ronon had made it out of the building and was running towards them like a mad man, dread locks flowing freely behind him.

Ahead of him, Rodney and Teyla had already turned the corner disappearing behind the next building. John quickly reached the bend and turned, crashing into Rodney in the process. With a jolt of dread, he realized they were going to hit the ground and lose precious time between them and the creatures. However, Rodney had other ideas. His force and momentum was thus that instead of both of them falling, they kept on going in his direction, John momentarily running backwards.

Rodney grabbed his shoulder and quickly righted him, a crazed look in his eyes. "Not that way!" he shouted, his other arm waving frantically, perhaps trying to get Ronons' attention. "Not that way!"

Despite himself, John peered behind him spotting Teyla and Ronon not too far behind, a sea of black on hot pursuit. He swallowed thickly, turning back to his task, easily taking the reins from Rodney who had slowed down after his short spurt of adrenaline.

He pulled them into another turn, gun ready for anything that might jump at them. However, there was nothing to greet them. Any form of relief was instantly squashed when he noticed shadows moving in from the sides.

"Rodney," he hissed, trying to get his friends attention. "Which way to the Jumper?"

Rodney shot him a look before shakily pointing his finger in the opposite direction they were going. Back where the swarm was.

John cursed angrily slowing down a bit at the final building before the outskirts of the camp was reached. Gun out and Rodney tucked safely at his side, he turned around the building in hopes to go around the creatures and to the Jumper.

A black mass jumped out at him, hissing and screaming. His gun went off, bullets sinking into the skin and bones, green liquid spraying out. Rodney jerked them back and away from the liquid as it found its' way to the ground and fizzled out.

The creature quickly jumped onto the building, hissing angrily at them and leaving a trail of sizzling blood.

Teyla and Ronon were upon them. "We can't reach the Jumper," Teyla called out. "The creatures are blocking the way."

"Damn," John hissed, eyes roaming the area and quickly taking in possibilities. "The excavation building is right over there." His finger pointed to the ruined building. "We'll head there to regroup."

Rodney whimpered but did not protest as he pulled him forward again. The creatures were catching up and a new group was forming on the sides, congregating to create one solid group.

Their run to the building was unhindered and would seem leisurely if not for the hissing and screaming behind them telling their brains to run. Run. Run!

John almost smashed into the front door in his haste to get there. He quickly activated the door, his gene immediately lighting it up and making it swish open. The air rushed outside feeling dark and dank. But the creatures were rushing towards them and he could think of no other solution.

Ignoring the whisper in his heart that told them they were being herded, he shut the door behind them.


	5. Chapter Four

Gah! I really should be getting the riot act. But thank you for not doing so! I'm more upset with myself. I was expecting to finish this story January of 2010. It's half-way through 2011! I mean, really? -Slams head on desk- I will finish this. I swear.

I was informed that my previous chapter wasn't very creepy. I always believe that things become creepy and scary when you can't see what's coming after you or where it will strike. So, obviously, last chapter where they creatures were basically chasing them in sunlight wasn't very scary. I'm hoping to regain some of the former creepiness in this chapter and the next. Tell me if I succeeded. :)

Also, this is a short chapter. But I got it out in a week. So that's something. lol

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. You know how it goes. I don't own anything. Ya happy?

* * *

_Rodney whimpered but did not protest as he pulled him forward again. The creatures were catching up and a new group was forming on the sides, congregating to create one solid group._

_Their run to the building was unhindered and would seem leisurely if not for the hissing and screaming behind them telling their brains to run. Run. Run! _

_John almost smashed into the front door in his haste to get there. He quickly activated the door, his gene immediately lighting it up and making it swish open. The air rushed outside feeling dark and dank. But the creatures were rushing towards them and he could think of no other solution._

_Ignoring the whisper in his heart that told them they were being herded, he shut the door behind them._

Chapter Four

**0.5 Hours Earlier**

The door slid shut with a resounding finality, separating their heavy breathing from the screaming outside. It took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting illuminating just enough to see down the dank corridor but not enough to stop the shadows from creeping in.

From would could be seen in the light was what used to be an immaculate corridor, stained and broken from years of misuse and solitude. The ceiling arched high, lines promoting pictures of beauty and misgivings. It curled around the walls, dancing away into the darkness that lay in wait further beyond the hallway.

John only allowed himself a single deep breath before plunging further into the complex. He raised his gun, flashlight turning on and illuminating the shadows. Three more beams pierced the shroud, the ample light revealing the corridor before them.

The silence was thickening and ever present. The only sound was their breaths and the pitter patter of their feet upon the floor. The shadows moved in behind them as they walked by, enclosing them within their embrace.

A single drop of liquid shattered the silence, going of like a gunshot. The lights waivered before following the walls and ceiling, trying to find the source of the noise.

Goosebumps ghosted across his skin and he resisted the urge to shudder. There were no more sounds of liquid, the single drop having been the only one to fall. John didn't know if that was a good thing, bad thing, or something else entirely.

They saw it first, but didn't understand the implication before stepping upon the new ridged flooring. The darkness in the distance hadn't seemed any different but as they reached the area they could clearly see the cut off area between the normal, elegant corridor and the dark, gothic one. The lines that had been smooth and flowing were now covered by what looked like a sticky substance, dark in color, and rigid in nature.

John tensed as he stepped upon the new surface, hands reflexively tightening around his gun. To his side, he could see Rodney staring intensely at the walls as if merely glaring at it would reveal what it was. He saved his friend the time by simply poking it with his gun.

Rodney jumped, quickly turning his glare to the gun and its' owner. John, however, was busy trying to remove his gun from the wall, the substance stretching like putty, trying to keep the gun and wall as one.

Rodney had a disgusted look on his face. "It looks fresh compared to the ground."

John peered at the end of his gun, watching as the substance slowly slid down heading towards his hands. "Fresh," he murmured.

"This appears foreign to the original complex," Teyla said softly, stepping up next to him. "Perhaps it is the creatures doing?"

"Right, because of course they are intelligent enough to find this stuff and slather the corridor with it," Rodney snipped.

"Looks more like it was secreted," Ronon rumbled, not facing them entirely but rather looking behind them.

John made a face and quickly tried to wipe the substance off his gun by dragging it along the bottom. Sure enough, just as Rodney predicted, the ground was hard and stiff, unyielding and unhelpful when it came to removing the substance.

"We shouldn't stay still," Ronon continued, tense.

John gave up trying to clean his gun, raising it back up towards the unclear corridor. His first step forward he almost tripped over a particularly large ridge. "Watch your step," he hissed back to his team mates.

The corridor seemed to shrink with the addition of the secretion, closing in on them and encouraging shadows to dance around them, laughing at their plight. The occasional door appeared, leading to various small rooms. However, the doors were either broken and crumbled in upon itself as if due to sheer force, or completely missing all together.

Each room held more of the secreted substance and nothing else. Whatever had been in there was long gone leaving neither a whisper nor a ghost as to what had once been.

The silence reigned supreme until they reached a fork in the corridor.

"No. No. No. No." Rodney had his arms crossed, an impressive feat considering he was still cradling his laptop and gun. His chin was tilted upwards in defiance. "That is the stupidest idea you've had all day and that's _saying something_."

John groaned. "Look, the radios are working so we can keep in contact with each other. We'll also be able to cover more ground this way."

Teyla nodded in agreement. "Ronon and I will be careful and will be sure to keep in contact with you."

Rodney threw his hands up in defeat. "This is ridiculous!"

John nodded. "Be careful you two."

"And you as well."

"Let this be known that I said before hand that this was a very bad idea," Rodney stated.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on. We have a nice spooky corridor to investigate." John gently guided his friend towards their corridor, glancing briefly back to see Teyla and Ronon disappear into the shadows.

They continued along the corridor, the secretion creating much more complex designs and ridges. There were fewer rooms along the way, as they only ran into a handful that were empty like many of those beforehand.

He assumed they were going further into the complex as the air became more stale and thick. However, there was no indication as to tell where they were at. Teyla and Ronon kept in contact, often only relating a single word to make sure that he knew they were alright. It put him at ease knowing that they were continuing along their way like him.

His thoughts were halted by Rodney grabbing harshly onto his arm, pinching skin and blocking blood flow. "Sheppard," he hissed.

John flinched, glaring at him lightly. "What?" He stopped when he noticed his friends' pale face and wide eyes. "What?" he asked again more softly, his senses sharpening as he reevaluated the corridor they were in.

Rodney looked like he was visibly keeping himself together. "It wasn't there before," he whispered shakily. "_It wasn't there before_."

Johns' hand tightened along his gun and he tensed, peering behind them. A shiver went up his spine, the hairs on the back of his head raising as the air suddenly seemed to be stifling. Try as he might, however, he could not notice anything out of the ordinary. "What wasn't there before?" he asked, eyes attempting to find what only Rodney seemed to see.

Rodney was shaking his arm, fingers digging in painfully. "Fuck," he hissed. "They're on the walls. They are on the fucking _walls_."

John felt ice go through him when he spotted _it_, a seemingly innocuous ridge on the wall that jutted out a tad bit too far.

Rodney was right. It hadn't been there before.

John used Rodneys' grip on him to slowly put him in front and away from the suspicious ridge. "Any in front?" he whispered, not daring to take his eyes off the one he could see.

Rodneys' eyes darted all around the corridor before them, fingers flexing on his gun. "I don't – I don't think so," he stuttered.

"Okay," John breathed. "We are going to take this slowly." He nudged Rodney forward with his arm, while slowly walking after him, never taking his eyes off the particular ridge.

One. Two. Three steps. It hadn't moved an inch. Part of his mind wondered if maybe the fear and dark corridors were playing tricks with their minds.

His foot came upon a particularly bumpy area and he stumbled, Rodney just barely stopping him from falling. It only took a moment to realign himself and turn back to the corridor behind them.

It was gone.

"Rodney," he whispered in a strangled voice. "I think we should go. Now."

A shaky nod was his answer. He quickly spun around and took off, Rodney right beside him. He could feel the shadows closing in on them, his hackles rising as an unknown predator slowly descended upon them. His mind automatically went to finding a room. Even if the door was broken or missing, they could at least bottleneck the creatures and possibly stop them. Out in the corridor they were defenseless.

He found salvation as a door quickly came upon them to the right. It was more than he could ask for. He immediately put his hands against the door as if to push, forcing his gene to activate a single frantic word screaming its' way through his mind: _open_.

The door swished open and a rush of air hit his face. His gun swung forward, illuminating the room as pulled Rodney forward to go into the room.

A gun was pointed at his face.


	6. Chapter Five

Hey! Sorry for the late update. I was planning on updating last week, but I was in a rut. I hope this chapter makes up for it. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything...But you know that. Why am I still putting these in again?

* * *

_He found salvation as a door quickly came upon them to the right. It was more than he could ask for. He immediately put his hands against the door as if to push, forcing his gene to activate a single frantic word screaming its' way through his mind: open._

_The door swished open and a rush of air hit his face. His gun swung forward, illuminating the room as pulled Rodney forward to go into the room._

_A gun was pointed at his face._

Chapter Five

**0.25 Hours**

The last thing John had expected was a gun in his face. He could understand silent movements in the darkness, creatures coming off of the walls, two mouths biting and tearing at them. A gun. Nope. Not what he expected at all.

He stared at the gun, eyes crossed as he stared down the barrel, losing precious seconds. His mind was momentarily unable to comprehend the situation.

A hand jutted out from beyond the gun and dragged him and Rodney inside the room. The door closed shut behind them.

John stumbled in slightly, quickly catching himself. Rodney was not quite so lucky and ended up going further past John and further into the room.

John squinted up to see who his savior was and started. Wide eyes accompanied by mussed hair and a pale face with dried blood caked on the side was what greeted him. "Major Lorne?"

"Colonel," he greeted eyes still wide. "What are you doing here?"

John blinked once. Then twice. Finally, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Rescue mission." He gave Lorne a lopsided grin. "Can't you tell?"

Lorne laughed lightly, desperation creeping in at the edges and clinging to his voice. "Well, I'm glad you're here and made it this far." He peered behind John. "Where are the other two?"

"We split up when we entered the complex." He noticed Lorne wince. "We've been staying in contact ever since," he assured.

Lorne didn't seem convinced as he started walking to the back of the room. The room itself was the largest he had seen but was just as bare as the others. However, it lacked something quite crucial: the substance that had been slathered all over the other rooms and halls. "They're smart," he commented. "Damn smart."

John noticed that the lack of complaining from Rodney had been due to the fact he was now talking to what looked like a scientist. He could make out the others in the darkened light and could see the rest of Lorne's team as well as a few scientists and military from what looked to be the expedition.

"Do you have any idea what they are?" he asked.

Lorne pinched the bridge of his nose letting loose a soft sigh. "Some of the scientists believe that they were already in the complex. In some sort of hibernation."

John nodded, remembering Ronons' words.

"We think that when Dr. Galeia fell through the hole and disturbed the area that it somehow woke the creatures up because, according to them, the attacks started almost immediately after."

John paused. "Was that stuff on the corridor there before?" he asked curiously.

"No." Lorne's hands ran through his hair making it stand up even more. "Apparently it was down in the lower levels but definitely not up here."

John let out a low groan. "So basically we are right above their home base."

"We haven't had any more problems with them once we found this room," Lorne continued, obviously having already coming to terms with the new horrifying knowledge. "But it won't last long I don't think." He eyed John again. "You don't happen to have a way out would you?"

"We have a Jumper not too far from the complex," he admitted. He quickly did a mental count of those he could see: Lorne's team, his, three scientists, and two military personnel. "We won't be able to fit everyone in it."

Lorne nodded. "But it's a start. The Jumper could even provide cover to those of us on the ground."

John eyed him. "You think we could make it?"

"Well, we have four more guns so that is a plus," Lorne replied. "As it was we only had five guns for nine of us. I think four more might just put us in the green."

John frowned. "That could work. We might have to wait a while though. They were pretty active and hostile not too long ago."

"They're always active." Lorne shuddered slightly. "Sometimes you just can't see them. But they're there. Thinking."

John suppressed a shudder himself, ice forming in the pit of his stomach. That they had to outwit rather than outrun or last made him all kinds of nervous. It completely changed the game.

"You guys were damn lucky to find a room that actually had a door," he commented.

Lorne gave him an odd look. "What are you talking about? They all had doors. This was just the closest room to us when we decided to hide rather than run."

He started. "But the doors." He trailed off. That wasn't good. That was _so_ not good. "They can get through." He grimaced.

Lorne stiffened, hands involuntarily tightening around his gun. "That isn't something I want to hear you know," he said, attempting to sound nonchalant.

John closed his eyes momentarily, mind racing to try and find a solution. "Okay." He opened his eyes. "Okay. I'll radio Teyla and Ronon and Rodney and I will scout ahead and meet up with them near the exit. If it's clear, we'll radio you. You still have your radio right?"

Lorne shook his head. "No. Lost it a while ago. The others are broken as well," he added, noticing Johns' attention move to the others.

John picked up his radio and handed it over to Lorne. "You can use mine. I'll just have to steal Rodneys'."

"What about me?"

John started slightly, not having noticed his friend walk up next to him. "Oh. I'm giving Lorne my radio so I'm going to need one." He held out his hand.

Rodney let out a soft huff before detaching his radio from his ear and handing it over to John. "So what's the plan? I know you were discussing one," he accused. "You were all huddled conspiratorially over here."

John grinned while putting the radio in his ear. "We're going to radio Teyla and Ronon and do some scouting."

"Yay, scouting," Rodney grumbled.

"Teyla, Ronon, this is Sheppard. Come on."

Static was in answer, thick and all encompassing.

"Teyla? Ronon? Come in."

Rodney shot him a nervous look.

"If you can't talk right now, give me some sort of signal to know if you can still here me."

Nothing but static.

"That can't be good," Rodney said.

"No. It can't." John turned to Lorne who had a version of the 'I told you so' look on his face. "Change of plans. Rodney and I are going to scout the area and search for them."

"I can go with you," Lorne suggested, but was immediately shot down.

"No, you should stay here and make sure those things don't get in here. Rodney and I can take care of it."

Lorne frowned, obviously not liking the idea. "Stay in contact." He tapped his ear for emphasis.

"Can do." John nodded at Rodney, who immediately stepped in behind him as they walked towards the door.

Lorne walked behind him, ready to close the door behind them and once again secure the room. "Good luck."

"Who needs luck?" John said impishly. The door opened swiftly but revealed no terror waiting to attack. His gun was lifted and he looked down both sides of the corridor before stepping completely out.

The door closed shut behind them making the corridor seem that much smaller. "Okay, we are going to retrace our steps," he whispered back to Rodney. "Keep on the alert for anything on the walls." His skin crawled just saying the sentence.

"Who was it who spotted it last time?" Rodney snipped back.

"Yeah, yeah. Just keep an eye out back there. Last thing we need is them sneaking up behind us while we are eyeballing the ceiling."

"Oh, isn't that a pleasant thought."

"Yes, it is. Now shush."

There were a few muffled squawks of protest before the soft grumbling and whispered mutterings started. John grinned. Just as predicted.

They walked silently down the corridor. Blessedly, nothing had jumped out at them so far. John had made sure to eye every bump and ridge on the ceiling and wall critically to ascertain whether or not it was just the secretion or a creature lying in wait. And with every look and new ridge that he thought hadn't been there before, his paranoia increased to stifling levels.

Behind him, Mckay split his eyes between watching the walls and ceiling to looking at his life sign detector. It was dishearteningly silent, only the two of them showing up at all on the machine. He wasn't sure to take it as a good or bad sign. As it was, he would take whatever he could get.

It was John who noticed it first this time.

His hand quickly reached behind him and snagged Rodneys' jacket, pulling both of them into the nearest room. He positioned them against the wall near where the door should have been.

Rodney was thankfully silent, wide eyes staring at him then his device.

"It's at the fork," John mouthed. He turned back to the opening and couldn't help but feel disheartened that they had been so close to the fork. This was hardly a place to hide. They mine as well be openly inviting them, he thought.

After several minutes of silence, John couldn't help but wonder if it was just waiting for them to step out. They did, he realized, have to move out of the room some time. This was not the kind of Mexican Standoff he would want to be a part of.

However, his musings did not last long for the air suddenly got heavier, descending upon them like a blanket. A foul stench permeated through the room, coming from the hallway. It smelled like rotten meat.

A soft hissing sound that could have been the sound of a generator or machine slowly started to build. But they knew better. The hiss had an organic quality to it that could not be denied. It was the sound of something angry and hungry.

Rodney stiffened behind him, cradling his laptop against his chest in an almost suffocating grip. John grabbed onto Rodneys' sleeve, praying that they would not have to move quickly.

They saw its shadow first. Pressed up against the wall near the door, they had a front view of the creature walking by them. Its' arms were held near it, claws gleaming even in the poor light, tail whipping dangerously behind it.

It stopped just beyond the entrance to the room.

John wasn't breathing: he couldn't. His muscles coiled in anticipation, stiff and rigid, but refused to quiver under the force. He was a living statue. Inside, his mind was repeating three words over and over like a mantra: _Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around._

The creature titled its' head in what could presume to be a quizzical fashion, inhaling air through its' nose. It sniffed once. Then twice. The head started to turn.

Johns' mind was screaming.

_Don't turn around!_

It stopped and let out a horrific screech, tailing whipping side to side before it climbed the walls in front of them and flew further down the hallway with amazing speed.

Only several moments later another creature joined the first, whipping by and joining in on the inhuman screams.

"They're gone," Rodney whispered behind him, holding his life sign detector with shaking hands.

John finally allowed himself to breath, a shiver working up his spine. That was too close to his liking. Furthermore it disproved one of his few hopes: they were damn fast on the walls. He didn't know something so trivial could be so terrifying.

He waited several more minutes before allowing himself to peak out into the hallway. Looking both ways, he quickly determined that there were no creatures waiting for them. His grip on Rodney had not diminished as he pulled the man out behind him, gun raised.

Rodney had regained some of his composure, his hands no longer shaking. However, his eyes were wide and flitted about nervously, his pale face standing out in contrast with the dark hallway. "I don't see anymore," he whispered shakily.

"Let's keep it that way," John muttered, finally allowing himself to let go of his friend. As he had expected, the fork was only several yards away with, thankfully, still no sign of the creatures.

They quickly moved past the fork and continued down the pathway Teyla and Ronon had chosen. It looked exactly like the path they had gone down, with rooms branching out in a similar fashion.

"It looks symmetrical," Rodney stated, quickly giving a glance over his shoulder to see behind him. "The building must be symmetrical."

"That's great," John whispered sarcastically. "And how is that going to help us?"

Rodney opened his mouth, but closed it, opting to stay silent instead. No snide remark was worth their safety.

However, fate seemed to have other ideas. The dim lights that had been illuminating their path suddenly went out, drenching them in complete darkness.

Rodney couldn't help the little squawk that burst forth from his mouth. He quickly closed the gap between him and John, fumbling with his gun to try and illuminate as much of the hallway as possible with his little flashlight.

John tensed next to him, cursing silently. He grabbed Rodney and moved into the nearest room to them, his flashlight roaming the room quickly before concluding that it was safe.

His radio crackled to life. "Uh, Colonel?" Lorne's voice came in through the static. "Please tell me this is your doing."

"No," he replied, pushing them both to the corner of the room. "You still got plenty of flashlights?"

"Yeah." There was hesitance in his voice. "Colonel, we might have a problem."

John couldn't stop the growl that bubbled forth from his throat. "What now?"

"The door won't open."

"What?" he hissed back into the radio.

Rodney however had an understanding look on his face. "The doors' are powered by the building, Sheppard," he informed. "The building has gone into lock down."

"Lock down," he repeated numbly. "Are you fucking serious?"

Rodney just gave him a pointed look.

"Damn. Okay, so what do we do?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We got to put get the power running again right?"

Rodney nodded.

"And how the hell do we do that?"

"I don't know where the power room is, but I know how to find it," Rodney stated.

That was the best news John had heard all day. "Really? How?"

"When you were talking to Major Lorne, I was talking to," he hesitated, "Mary?" He shook his head, apparently giving up with trying to remember the name. "Anyway, she said that there's a room on this side that used to have all sorts of schematics."

"And you know where this is?"

"Well, if the building is symmetrical." Rodney gave a pointed look at John. "Then according to –erh- the scientist, it should be another five or so rooms down on the right."

"I could kiss you right now."

"Please don't."

John turned back to the radio. "Alright. Major, stay put. We'll be taking care of this. We'll keep you updated on the situation, but if you see the lights come on, obviously we succeeded."

"Alright," came Lorne's reply. "Stay safe. Lorne out."

John turned to Rodney. "Alright. Let's do this." He quickly scooted back to the opening and peered back out. He guided his flashlight over the walls and ceiling before turning to Rodney.

"Looks good," Rodney said, looking back up from his detector.

John nodded and slowly headed out into the hallway. Rodney came up beside him, squinting as he peered down the hallway as if it would allow him to suddenly see more than what the two pale beams of light allowed.

They slowly head down the hallway. Beside him, he could hear Rodney counting out loud and peering into some of the rooms they passed. They all appeared to look the same and John couldn't help but feel uneasy on whether or not they would find the correct room.

Even in the darkness, it gleamed at them in the distance. John recognized it immediately and darted forward, leaving Rodney to catch up behind him.

Numbness washed over him as he bent down to pick up the radio that had once adorned his other teammate's ear. Red stained the device, some of the liquid dripping as it slowly descended from the radio.

Rodney sucked in his breath behind them. "They're okay," he whispered more to himself than to John.

He clenched his fist around the radio, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. They would be okay. Teyla and Ronon knew how to take care of themselves. He pushed his anger, hurt, sadness, anger, hopelessness, _anger_ aside, and reopened his eyes. They would find them. Right after they got the power on. They could hold on until then. He knew it.

He turned to Rodney whose eyes were gleaming even in the shadows. "Let's get these lights on." His voice sounded hard even to him.

Rodney nodded tightly, swallowing the lump that had developed in this throat; in his heart.

They reached the room quickly, but John hesitated. It indeed looked like all the previous rooms, but Rodney was supposedly sure. His friend quickly took a look at his surroundings before walking over to the left of the room. He poked the secreted material.

"It should be over here," he stated glumly. "Got a knife?"

John quickly pulled out one of his pocket knives, pushing down the emotions that came with it (Ronon, Teyla, God, Please be alive, _please_). He made one more quick glance behind him before stabbing the substance with his knife. It didn't go very far in the first time, to his dismay.

Rodney shot him a look.

"Why don't you watch my back," John grumbled, ignoring the smirk starting to appear on his friends face. He dug the knife back out before slamming it back in, using as much force as he could to jab in it. It disappeared into the substance.

Smiling in satisfaction, John went to work, slowly carving out chunks of the secretion. Sweat dripped from his face as he forcefully released the wall from the prison that was the secretion. Rodney had to step in several times to get particularly thick and big chunks off the wall, both of them pulling at the slab with all of their weight.

"There! There!" Rodney said excitedly. A chunk of the wall was now visible revealing what looked to be a table with several machines on it.

John blinked. Just how much was this substance hiding? He unconsciously peered at the other walls.

When John turned back to Rodney, he was already touching the devices as if stroking them would turn them on. He hesitated. "If we don't have power, how are we going to get these to work?"

"They should have enough life in them for me to be able to transfer the information to my laptop." As if demonstrating his point, the devices suddenly came to life, odd symbols prancing around the screens. John could make out some of them, recognizing some of the Ancient words. The others, however, looked foreign.

Rodney was already at work, having put his laptop up on the table, fingers flying over both the Ancient looking screen and his own keyboard.

John turned around, peering back at the room and the open doorway allowing his friend to do his job. He could still see no movements in either what little he could see of the hallway and of the room.

How did it all go so wrong?

The crushing weight of responsibility was physically noticeable in his slumped shoulders. Half his team was missing, the ones they were supposed to rescue were trapped, and those _things_ were roaming the complex just waiting for them to slip up.

He pushed down the hysteria and hopelessness of the situation. They were all going to get out of here alive. He was going to make sure of it.

"Ahah!" Rodneys' voice drew him out of his dark thoughts and he turned around to see Rodney only working on his own laptop.

"You got it?"

A wince. "Well, I think so," he replied. "I've transferred all the data that looked important to my computer. Which was good, because they really didn't have much life in them."

John looked at the blank screens and swallowed. "But you did get it, right?"

Rodney made a non-committal noise.

"_Right_?"

Rodney sighed. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I did." He brought up on his screen what looked to be straight and squiggly lines. "See? This tells me that the power room is somewhere in that direction." He pointed the way they had been headed.

John raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"And apparently there are vents in this complex."

Both eyebrows rose. "Vents. Really?"

"Really."

"So you know where the power room is now, right?"

"No," Rodney replied, the picture on the screen suddenly disappearing as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "We need a more detailed diagram for that."

"And how long until you find it?" John turned back the door, a plan formulating.

"Shouldn't take me too long." Rodney paused, suddenly suspicious. "Why?"

John nodded to himself before turning back to Rodney. "I'm going to head out and look for that power room. You are going to stay here and guide me."

Rodneys' jaw went slack. "Are you mental? The whole problem with the last plan was splitting up. And now you want to do it _again_?"

John winced. "It'll be better this way."

"No."

"Rodney. It'll give you time to get the schematic going. Plus you won't have to worry about walking into a nest of those things while you're busy looking at your computer screen."

"No."

"This isn't up for discussion."

Rodney glared.

John crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine," Rodney bit out before digging through his pack. "But we do this _my_ way."

John raised an eyebrow. "Okay. And what does your way entail?"

"Tada."

John couldn't help but stare in slight shock at the small, high-tech camera Rodney was holding up. "You can't be serious."

"What?" Rodney turned back to the camera, opening it up and taking what looked to be a tiny USB out. "This way, I can keep track of what is going on. And you get a second set of eyes."

John looked at him incredulously as Rodney snagged duct tape out of his bag too. "And why in the world did you bring a camera? And duct tape?"

Rodney shrugged. "Never know when you'll need them. And who are you to complain?" he snipped back. "This is a good thing." He held out his hand, beckoning John to hand over the gun.

John let out a soft groan before handing it over, watching as Rodney taped the camera to the top of his gun. Once the camera was successfully secured to the gun, it was handed back.

"It should have at least five hours of life to it." Rodney reached over and clicked a button, the camera immediately coming to life. He then put the USB in his laptop.

John eyed the camera thoughtfully. "You sure this is going to work?"

"Hey, look. I'm on my computer," Rodney grinned, before frowning. "Sheppard, why are you pointing your gun towards me?"

John immediately moved the gun away, watching as the screen reflected the sudden change and responding accordingly. "Drats, my plan was foiled again."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Har-har. Very funny."

"I thought so," John chirped. "So, we good now?"

Rodney hesitated. "Yeah. It looks like the camera is coming in good. It shouldn't take me too long to get the right schematic up."

John nodded. "Alright. I'll be back. Make sure to stay down and out of sight. I shouldn't be gone too long." He turned and walked back to the exit, his gun already up and ready albeit a bit heavier.

"Sheppard?"

John paused and turned to look at Rodney. His friend was giving him a look, eyes tight, mouth drawn, his eyes staring at him beseechingly.

"You too," John murmured softly.

Rodney watched as John stepped out of the room and into the hallway, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. Stopping himself from mulling on thoughts that were better left alone, he turned back to his computer. Making sure to keep the screen that was connected to the camera up he turned back to the schematics.

Time to get to work.

It didn't take too long to get what he wanted. Longer than usual as he was constantly looking at the camera screen, behind him, and then back to the list of files. But after much cursing and ranting, he managed to get exactly what he needed up. He quickly turned to the camera, finding what he was looking for.

"I-I think I got the schematic of the building. You see that hole several yards away?"

**0 hours**


	7. Chapter Six

Hey! Only a few chapters left. Woo! I'm excited. I hope you are too. ;)

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? I mean, really. This is getting ridiculous. I don't own anything. Not even the lovely, scary, evil, horrible aliens.

* * *

_The creature stopped tearing the man apart and turned towards Rodney. Blood fell freely from its' mouth, tail, and claws as it stalked towards him. He could see pieces of muscle still attached to its' claws as well as something that resembled an eyeball staring at him unseeing. It stopped several inches away from Rodneys' face, a horrible gurgling sound coming from deep within its' throat, almost as if it was sniffing him._

_The saliva slime dropped from its' mouth, landing on Rodneys' foot and pants, and coating the floor. It slowly opened its' mouth and to Rodneys' horror, a second smaller mouth came out in place if the creatures tongue. The mouth had razor sharp teeth and bit the air in front of him._

_Detachedly, Rodney watched as the creature reared its' body to attack. Silently crying, he waited to be torn to shreds._

Chapter Six

The attack never came.

Sounds of a struggle could be heard through dulled senses as human and inhuman screams blended into a single cacophony. Gentle hands worked their way up to his neck and released the hold the coil had upon him.

He slipped to the ground, air finally seeping into his lungs and giving him breath. He gulped in air before coughing harshly, his sore throat protesting at this miniscule act.

Hands rubbed his back soothingly, a disembodied voice speaking softly to him. "It is alright Rodney. It is alright."

Rodney blinked before rubbing his eyes to try and clear them. He peered up at one of his saviors and started. "Teyla?"

She smiled brightly at him, her eyes crinkled with worry. "Yes. I am here."

Rodney nodded dumbly before looking around and spotting Ronon still tearing the creature apart despite that it was obviously dead. He cleared his throat, finally getting his wits about him. "You guys are alright?"

Teyla nodded, hands still lingering on his back. "Yes. We ran into several of those creatures not too long ago. We attempted to contact you but I did not realize I had lost my radio in the altercation. Ronons' radio was missing as well."

"Oh." Rodney slowly stood up, wavering slightly before regaining his footing. "We found one of your guys' radios. We weren't sure what happened." He tapped to his ear. "I've been using it."

Teyla nodded in acceptance. "Where is John?"

Rodney stiffened. His hands reflexively went towards his pack where he kept his laptop, only to realize that he had recently used it as a weapon. He spotted in only several feet away and quickly scrambled towards it.

The laptop had a small dent on its' side where it had smashed into Dr. Galeia. He felt a tight squeeze reach around his heart. God, he _knew_ that man. They had had many discussions together and worked on several projects. He never thought the man was particularly bright compared to some of the other scientists and never had any qualms about telling him as much. But _still_. He _knew_ him.

It took him a little while to realize his hands were still shaking. He steeled himself and opened up the laptop.

"Thank God," he mumbled, noticing that his screen was still very much intact and the programs still up and running. He quickly brought up the screen that was linked to the camera.

Hope filled his mind.

Teyla had walked up behind him, obviously seeing his bright expression. Hers, however, turned dark a frown marring her complexion. "What are we seeing?"

"Sheppard decided to be an _idiot_ again and went off to turn on the power by himself. I attached a camera to his gun so I could keep tabs on him." He pointed to the screen.

The screen flickered again as another section of the floor was revealed as the camera was slowly dragged. The outline of what looked to be one of Johns' black boots could be seen off to the side.

"He's being dragged," Rodney said breathily. "They didn't kill him."

Ronon growled, appearing suddenly next to Rodney. His body was scrunched up and tense, radiating an almost predatorily vibe.

"Where are they taking him then?" Teyla questioned, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen.

Rodney grimaced. "Not a good place if what they said was right. They mentioned something about a hatchery."

Teyla started. "Who said this?"

"Oh," Rodney blinked, suddenly remembering that they didn't know about their find. "We ran into Lorne and his team. Some of the military and scientists from the expedition were there as well."

"They are alright then?" Teyla asked, relief flooding her voice.

"Yes. Crap!" Rodney ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I completely forgot about them." He turned his body slightly away from his teammates and tapped his ear. "Lorne? You there? Lorne?"

Silence met his query.

"Erh, look if you can hear me we got the power on, but –uh- Sheppard got himself into a situation. We're going to go fetch him now."

Rodney frowned slightly when the silence was not broken. "He isn't answering." He gave a worried look to Teyla.

"They can wait," Ronon interrupted, turning away from the laptop to watch the hallway.

"Ronon is right," Teyla chimed in. "Major Lorne is a professional. I am sure he is keeping the others safe. We must find John first."

Rodney nodded numbly. "Okay." He let loose a heavy breath. "I know where he was when he was taken." He looked at Ronon. "We should be able to determine the path that _it_ took."

Ronons' grin was savage.

"Very well, Rodney. Lead the way." Teyla motioned for Rodney to go, making sure to stay near.

Rodney walked past the gruesome remains of Dr. Galeias, forcing himself not to be ill. Bile rose to the back of his throat, and he had to actively clear his throat to stop it from bubbling over.

It was _his_ fault, he knew, tears starting to form in the back of his eyes. _He _said that it was a safe planet; that they wouldn't be in danger. Some of the scientists he had sent were _terrified_ of going off world and he just sent them to their doom. _He_ killed them.

He forced back the tears, focusing instead on his task. He could mourn later, he reasoned. Once they got Sheppard and everyone off the planet safely.

Confidence slowly leaking back into his stride, he led the way to the power room. They were all going to get out alive. But first, they were going to save Sheppard.

* * *

The first thing he was aware of was pain. There was a sharp pain the resonated in his head and a dull ache that permeated throughout his muscles. The second was that it was hot; unbelievably hot. Sweat dripped from his brow, his face flushed. He didn't remember the temperature of the complex being so high before.

Thirdly, was the smell, made more intensive because of the humid atmosphere. It smelled dank, wet, metallic, and rotten.

He gagged.

Ignoring the stench, he gulped up the air, mind focusing more and more with every breath. His blurry vision faded until it revealed the room he was situated in.

It was dark, the lights unable to completely illuminate the room. The same secretion was found on the walls and ceiling only in larger quantities. The floor, however, was littered with large oval objects that appeared to be interconnected with the odd looking organic tubes on the ground.

John shook his head lightly before starting forward. He didn't budge.

Blinking in surprise, he quickly appraised his situation. He appeared to be stuck to the wall the secretion. One of his arms was spread eagle while the other lay limply at his side. Both, however, were cemented in place with the substance.

He quickly spotted his gun nearby, the camera on it facing somewhere to the left of him. Frankly, he was surprised he had managed to hold on to it for so long. He vaguely remembered screaming, the sound of bullets, and being hit in the head.

He winced, attempting to bring his hand to his head, momentarily forgetting he was stuck. A groan escaped his lips as he jerked again against his bonds.

The secretion stretched minutely. It wasn't much, maybe an inch, but it surprised him nonetheless. The secretion had looked rock solid and unyielding. Now, the substance was glistening and had become somewhat pliable.

It was melting, he realized.

He gave another tug, only somewhat disappointed when he still didn't break free. Apparently, it hadn't melted enough.

He let out a frustrated huff before pulling against his restraints again. He wouldn't allow himself to be stuck to the wall and accept whatever horrible fate awaited him. He had wayward people to find and a vacation to enjoy.

A soft muttering echoed in the room and for a brief moment he thought it was coming from his radio. He tensed, focusing on slowing his breathing and keeping quiet, in hopes to locate where the sound was coming from. He realized it was coming from his left.

Pulling at his prison, he bent as far forward as was allowed and peered around. He found the source of the noise immediately. Littered among the walls were what appeared to be the missing villagers and expedition members. They were stuck to the wall in a similar manner as him, however as he looked closer, he realized many were, in fact, dead. Their faces were twisted in horrible agony, arms stuck in a clawed position as if in their last moments of life, they were trying to break free. All of their stomachs were burst outwards, ribs poking out grotesquely, creating a demented picture. John knew if he peered closer, he would be able to see inside each individual through the massive holes.

A handful of the people had something on their face. It appeared to be attached and looked organic and a bit like tissue. If he looked towards the ground, he would notice the various dead bodies of the creatures scattered around the dead.

The one creating the sound was a man, who appeared to have been from the village. The odd markings on his face gleamed in the dim light, the fear in his eyes palpable.

"Hey," John called out softly, cursing himself for not learning any customary phrases. "Hey! It's going to be alright."

The mans' eyes met his, unusually bright in the darkness. He may not have known the native language but it was clear what the man was trying to say: _Help me!_

"It's going to be alright," John tried again, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I've got people on the way." At least he assumed they were on the way, but he refused to think of the alternative. "They're going to get us out of here."

The man gasped suddenly, eyes clenching shut as his body convulsed forwards. His mutterings increased in pitch until he was screaming, the words blending and slurring into one another.

He convulsed again, his bulky frame hitting the secretion before going back to its' prone position.

It looked horribly familiar.

John felt bile slowly work its way up from his stomach as he realized what was happening and what was going to happen. His teeth clenched, eyes unable to turn away from the horror unfolding before him.

The villagers words, John realized, were some sort of prayer, repeating over and over as the creature tore at his insides. A bulge started to appear just above the stomach, pressing against skin and muscle.

John quickly sent a prayer that the mans' death would be quick. His body tense, his mouth dry, he slowly started to repeat the words the villager had been repeating. He mangled the words and no doubt butchered the language, but it was the only comfort he could offer the dying man.

The villager started, his voice tapering off as he turned wide, pain filled eyes to John. His mouth was open as if silently screaming, body arched backwards. His eyes found Johns', gratitude shining brightly through the pain.

In that instant, he looked at peace.

The creature finally burst through, blood and guts spraying the ground below. Its' little body gleamed, drenched in crimson and bodily fluid. It opened its' mouth and let out a soft hiss, what appeared to be organ still stuck to its teeth.

In a flash, it jumped out of the hole it had just created and dashed off in between the eggs. In an instant, it was gone.

John slowly closed his eyes and turned away. This time he couldn't stop the vomit as it burst its' way out of his mouth and onto the ground. His body shook under the strain of body and mind, shudders racking his body as he finally realized the process.

His eyes slowly dragged back to the left to those people still alive with creatures attached to their faces. The creatures were laying eggs, he thought, horror reaching inside and gripping tightly at him.

He turned back to look in front of him, to the perfectly placed egg that sat only several feet away from his position. He returned with fervor to trying to escape from his prison.

The substance surrounding his right arm suddenly gave, a sickening slurping sound resonating throughout the room as his arm flung forward. Unfortunately, he had used too much force and it ended up swinging back at him and hitting him in the left shoulder.

He winced and flexed his fingers, trying to regain feeling in his hands. One down, he thought, the rest of his body to go.

With one of his arms free, he reached to his radio. He was happily surprised to find it still connected to his ear, albeit loosely. With the way everyone had been losing radios, he had thought for sure his would somehow wind up missing as well.

Unable to stop the grin from appearing on his face at his good stroke of luck, he opened his mouth to speak.

Something shrieked in the background, silencing him immediately. The air had become thick again and all-consuming and he found his eyes unwillingly wandering to the egg, _his_ egg.

Silently, the top slowly opened up, slime coming out as it did so. The four leaves it created lay flat against its' container. Inside, something pulsed and moved.

Hysteria bubbled forth, fear freezing his body. He could only stare, transfixed, as a single skinny leg reached out and over the egg, slowly pushing the crab-like creature to the surface.

He could feel a scream start, but quickly clenched his mouth shut, grinding teeth together. The eggs no doubt went through the throat. Like _hell_ he was going to let it freely enter his mouth. His hand twitched beside him as the creature reoriented itself until it was pointing towards him.

He stared at it, and he knew without a doubt, it stared back at him.

It leapt.


	8. Chapter Seven

Exams + being sick + messing with food allergies = not a conducive environment for writing. Imagine that.

Sorry for the later than usual update. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up sooner. On a plus note, two more chapters and one epilogue left. Yay!

There is totally an Aliens reference in this crossover. Imagine that. But seriously, it's there hidden in this chapter. Okay, not so hidden. ;)

Also, Lorne +1, Aliens 0. He totally stole the creatures' ideas. Okay, it's probably more like Lorne 1, Aliens 547,000….Maybe with some added zeroes involved.

Disclaimer: I can't believe we are still doing this dance. Again, I don't own anything.

* * *

_Hysteria bubbled forth, fear freezing his body. He could only stare, transfixed, as a single skinny leg reached out and over the egg, slowly pushing the crab-like creature to the surface._

_He could feel a scream start, but quickly clenched his mouth shut, grinding teeth together. The eggs no doubt went through the throat. Like hell he was going to let it freely enter his mouth. His hand twitched beside him as the creature reoriented itself until it was pointing towards him._

_He stared at it, and he knew without a doubt, it stared back at him._

_It leapt._

Chapter Seven

He really should have suspected. Of course the creepy alien would have perfect aim. It would have been a metaphorical and most likely physical hole in one if John hadn't used his free hand to stop the creature from making a connection.

As it was, his position wasn't much better. The things' rather long tail had wrapped itself around his throat and was tightening painfully as it struggled against him. The creature itself was using the tail to draw itself closer to his mouth, the only thing stopping its' grotesque, wiggling, appendage being Johns' hand.

It wasn't much of a defense and John knew it. He was also pretty sure the creature knew it as well as it continued to jimmy around as if trying to find the spot where it'll just go around his hand. They both knew his measly hand was Johns' only means of defense.

Nothing terrified John more than knowing that his hand was the only thing keeping the creature from stuffing an egg down his throat. As it was, his hand was weakening, and the creature was slowly slipping from his grip. It was really only a matter of time.

This wasn't exactly the way he wanted to go.

There was a shout and his name was being called out. There were hands everywhere suddenly, but more importantly on the creature, pulling it back and away.

"No! Don't!" Rodney was suddenly there and John had a fleeting worry that the creature would just up and decide to latch onto the nearest face (aka Rodney).

Rodney was actually holding back the knife in Ronons' hand. John was sure that Ronon himself was actually stopping rather than Rodney stopping Ronon. He seriously doubted anyone could stop Ronon even if they tried.

Ronon was still holding the creature, the knife lying in wait. He appeared to be giving Rodney his best 'I'll be patient for you now but you better tell me quick because I am _going_ to destroy this thing' look.

"Its' blood is acid," Rodney spewed out quickly. "If you cut it, the acid will get on Sheppard and that won't be pretty. We should get it away from him then kill it."

Ronon nodded his head with agreement, still holding onto the creature.

Teyla and Rodney quickly went about unwrapping the creatures' tail from Johns' neck. It wasn't as easy as it looked as the creature, sensing that it was in danger, had wrapped its' tail even tighter around his neck.

John found it rather amusing himself. He was pretty much stuck watching the scene unfold in front of him. Ronon was in front of him, holding the creature and looking at it as if it had disobeyed him and was thinking that it would make a good necklace; Teyla had a soothing look on her face despite the fact she was wrestling with the things' tail, no doubt trying to keep him calm; and Rondey had his tongue sticking out, brow furrowed, as he helped Teyla with her task, looking an awful lot like he did when he was working on a particularly difficult problem.

John couldn't help but take this moment to think about how weird his team was. But he supposed it worked and that was really all that mattered.

The tail finally came loose and Ronon disappeared with the creature, no doubt to do unspeakable things to it. Rodney and Teyla had started working on the secretion that held him to the wall and made short work of it, as it had become more malleable due to the heat.

John quickly pulled himself out, unwilling for them to 'unearth' him so to speak, any longer. He quickly went about brushing the extra off him, before eyeing Teyla. "You're okay."

Teyla smiled at him. "Yes. We were able to escape the creatures unharmed. However, I understand you found my radio."

"Yeah." John couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face. "So the group is all here, eh?" He walked unsteadily over to his gun and quickly retrieved it. "What about Major Lorne?"

"We have been unable to get a hold of them," Teyla replied.

"That isn't good," John muttered, re-checking his gun.

"They probably just lost their radios," Rodney said flippantly, eyeing some of the eggs and people still up on the wall. "It seems to be the new 'in' thing." He paused. "Those people are still alive."

John peered back up at the few villagers that still had those creatures on their faces. He grimaced. "Not for long."

They seemed to understand immediately, Rodney going green and Teyla muttering a few words he didn't understand. "Perhaps we should," Teyla started, but was interrupted by a hideous shriek.

"They don't sound happy," Rodney muttered nervously.

"Probably aren't," Ronon replied gruffly, reappearing next to Teyla.

Rodney jumped, whirling upon Ronon, but stopped when he noticed something shiny in his hands. "Is that a new knife?" he asked incredulously.

"The other one was ruined," came the short reply.

John grinned. Thank God for Ronons' personal arsenal. "Okay guys, I think we should get out of here ASAP."

"No disagreements here," Rodney mumbled.

John couldn't help but feel more prepared than before as they dashed down the hall and away from the hatchery where shadows seemed to be moving, tendrils reaching out to drag them back. They were together again and knew, essentially, what to expect from the creatures no matter how horrifying the picture it created.

With the gang back together, he couldn't help but feel that escape was within their grasp. All they had to do was pick up Major Lorne and his group and get the hell out of there. They would definitely be black-listing this planet. No one would ever be coming to this planet again. Well, no Stargate personnel. Maybe they should blow up the Stargate just to be sure.

Four flashlights beaming down the corridor were definitely better than two. The hallway was practically fully illuminated now, allowing full access to views of the walls and ceiling. With every passing room and bulge less corridor, John couldn't help but wonder if perhaps they were all conferencing in the hatchery or somewhere far, far away.

He realized that was wishful thinking. Especially when one of the creatures decided to blind-side them from one of the rooms.

It lunged out of the room catching them by surprise, claws curled in attempt to catch and hold their prey. And its' prey was Teyla. However, it had apparently not calculated for her fluid grace and was caught in the rather large head by her gun before being riddled with bullets.

In the light, Teyla looked terrifying as she stood over the twitching body of the creature, triumphant. Her eyes glowed in the dim light as she looked back up at John, giving a slight nod.

They quickly went forward once more as if they hadn't been interrupted. Rodney kept on barking out directions, staring more intently at his laptop than at his surroundings. John stopped listening once they got into familiar territory, recognizing subtle differences that said they were close.

When they reached the room they had last seen Lorne, they immediately went on the defense. The door was gone, shards still attached at the edges.

It had been smashed in.

Getting into formation, John quickly peeked in. Once he was certain that nothing would jump out at them, he entered, using his flashlight to quickly glance over the room. The secretion was on the walls and ceilings now and the room was devoid of any life.

John wiped some sweat from his forehead. "You sure this is the right room?" He knew the answer, and was reassured from Rodney that he was indeed correct.

Letting out a long, suffering groan at the thought that they would be looking once again for the wayward group, he reentered the corridor. At least, he hoped they were just wayward.

He almost missed the light flashing at him from down the corridor, repeating in a specific pattern he recognized to be Morse Code. He couldn't help the grin as he motioned for his team to follow.

The new room was only down the corridor on the other side and was much larger, but it held exactly what they were looking for.

Lorne waved at them once they got close enough, a tired smile splayed across his face. "I was beginning to worry about you guys."

"About us?" John repeated, shaking his head lightly and filing into the room. He quickly did a body count and frowned. "What happened?"

"Did you know this place as vents?" Lorne continued, ignoring Rodneys' flippant 'yes'. "Once the power went out, the creatures started ramming into the door. We managed to find the vents and moved here using them. Didn't want to stay in there too long," he shuddered. "If we can use them, no doubt they could to. We, uh, lost Dr. Galeia in the vents."

Rodney purposely didn't look anyone in the eye. "He's dead."

Teyla had an odd look on her face and Ronon looked pleased. John shot his friend a look, but Rodney refused to meet his eyes.

"Okay then, that settles that," John muttered, taking a moment to wipe the back of his neck.

"Do you know what's up with this heat?" Lorne queried, noticing Johns' involuntary actions. It took a moment, but John realized that the heat he had associated only with the hatchery was still there and that everyone appeared to be sweating bullets.

"Oh, sorry." Rodney looked sheepish. "I thought that if I turned the heat up, the secretion would melt a bit."

John raised an eyebrow.

Rodney shrugged. "It wasn't that difficult."

"We noticed that the people were being held to the wall by the secretion," Teyla explained, much to Johns' appreciation, "through the camera on your gun. We believed that perhaps if we could get the secretion to melt, you would be able to protect yourself until we reached you."

"Oh. Thanks."

Lorne, however, looked lost. "Well, if the secretion is melting, maybe they'll have a harder time sticking to the walls."

John brightened at this new information. It would help if they didn't have to look at every bulge on the walls. And also, crawling around on walls was just plain creepy.

"Is everyone ready to get out of here?"

Even the frightened scientists perked up at this information, immediately crowding the surrounding area.

"Alright. We'll keep it simple. Everyone who doesn't have a gun, stay in the center. Everyone who does have a gun, keep to the outskirts. We have a Jumper outside the complex. It shouldn't be too far away, but we don't know how many are waiting for us or how they will react. Make sure to stick together and do what we say." John paused to see all the wide eyes looking at him for guidance. How the hell did he get himself in these situations? "Any questions? Alright. Let's go."

John and his team were near the front, as they knew where the Jumper was located while Lorne and his took up the rear. John couldn't help but notice that they were located near the exit, and silently thanked Lorne for choosing that room to hide in. The closer they were to the exit the less chances of running into those things while in the complex and the less chance of mishaps.

So, of course, it was when they exited that chaos erupted. The walk down the creepy, dark, and wet now thanks to Rodney, corridor had been smooth. Once they opened the door and entered the bright outside, the creatures descended upon them.

The creatures had waited until the optimal moment to attack. They had actually waited until the group was about halfway through the exit before leaping down on their unsuspecting prey.

The result was panic.

Only five of the creatures attacked them, but five was enough. One of the soldiers died immediately in a spray of blood, chunks of what looked to have once been internal organs flying through the air.

Screaming started up immediately as did the gun fire. John immediately started firing on the creatures in attempt to keep them away from the group, noting Lorne taking charge at the door. Some of the more level headed ones made sure to keep the group bunched together, stopping some stranglers from running off as the creatures had no doubt planned for them to do.

John focused on the creature in front of him, watching as his bullets dug into its' body, yellow-green blood sizzling as it hit the ground. He quickly turned back to the others but froze when he came face to face with one of those things. It had snuck up behind him unaware.

It was snarling at him, a thick substance dripping slowly from its' mouth. Claws were outstretched as if it wanted to grab and tear at him and its' tail whipped dangerously around behind him. It lunged.

It was met with bullets. John had been too slow to bring his gun up, but Teyla hadn't been. She took several steps forward as she poured bullets into the creature only stopping until it had stopped twitching compulsively. She quickly put in another magazine before returning back to the situation at hand.

The other three had been taken care of. Furthermore, no one else had died, much to Johns' relief. The group was all huddled together guns raised, eyes wide, and shaking with adrenaline and fear.

Rodney looked at John with wide blue eyes, pieces of red material sticking to his face and hair. His gun was held tightly, his laptop somehow having disappeared in the scuffle.

John grimaced before turning to Lorne and waving him forward. Immediately the man started getting the group moving again, some of them giving the mangled body a wide birth.

John glanced once more at the dead soldier before continuing to head to the Jumper. It was a shame they couldn't give the man a proper burial. It was a shame that none of the others would either. It seemed too often that they didn't have a body, or much of a body, for funerals. A tendency he wished to end.

The Jumper was insight when the shrieks started up, reverberating through the air and instilling fear in the group. John cursed angrily before turning back to the complex, noting the growing number of 'shadows' that started appearing.

"Rodney, Ronon, take the scientists ahead to the Jumper." John turned around and quickly headed towards Lorne, who had already set point and was releasing short, controlled bursts. It became apparent he was on his last clip.

John quickly handed him one of his extra clips, which Lorne took gladly. Teyla and Lornes' team had set up near them as well, already firing upon the masses headed towards them. And they were so close. Damn.

Rodney ran towards the Jumper, his lungs burning and legs shaking with the strain. Behind him he could hear the gunshots going off like thunder and knew they were short on time. He was hoping that the others were following as he refused to take the time to look back. It would be their own damn faults if they were too stupid to just sit and stare at the incoming monstrosities.

He could have cried with relief when he reached the Jumper, entering it with abandon. The machine immediately hummed back to life as he called to it urgently, bringing forth the various safety and defense measures in the programming.

It was once these programs were activated that he noticed that the others hadn't caught up. It also informed him that something was inside that wasn't supposed to be.

Rodney only had a moment to see one of those creatures daintily drop down from one of the crevices in the ceiling and stalk towards him menacingly. There was nothing after.


	9. Chapter Eight

So I realized that if Dr. Weird is alive, so is Carson. So Carson is alive. Yay! Everyone rejoice! Anyway, this is a short filler between this and the 'last' chapter. It's just meant to mess with you. Plus Rodney's mind tends to do weird crap when he is in stressful situations.

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah don't own anything blah blah blah

* * *

_He could have cried with relief when he reached the Jumper, entering it with abandon. The machine immediately hummed back to life as he called to it urgently, bringing forth the various safety and defense measures in the programming. _

_It was once these programs were activated that he noticed that the others hadn't caught up. It also informed him that something was inside that wasn't supposed to be. _

_Rodney only had a moment to see one of those creatures daintily drop down from one of the crevices in the ceiling and stalk towards him menacingly. There was nothing after._

Chapter Eight

It was hot.

His clothes felt damp and heavy, his body flushed from the heat. He could feel himself slowly become aware of his body and aware of something holding him flat against a flat surface.

Panic set in as memories flooded back. He let out a shriek and started to thrash against his restraints, eyes closed tightly unwilling to view the scene before him.

His hand hit something solid and someone shouted at him. "Stop it Rodney! Jesus!"

Rodney immediately froze, slowly opening his eyes. "Sheppard?" The world was blurry but he could make out several fuzzy outlines standing over him. He flinched when a beam of light was forced into his line of sight.

"Are ye' alright?" The voice belonged to the fuzzy person with the pen light. Immediately, Rodney recognized it.

"Carson?" he asked, mouth open in wonderment.

"Ay', it's me lad." The light disappeared along with the fuzzy outline. "How are ye' feeling?"

"I um." Rodney blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes furiously to try and see clearly. When the blurriness finally receded, he realized he was in the infirmary, immediately recognizing the stark white rooms and the uncomfortable bed. The white curtains were enclosing them, keeping them private from the other beds.

John was sitting on a stool to his right, hunched near him with a worried expression.

Rodney opened his mouth to speak, but his throat protested against such an action. He quickly cleared his throat and tried again. "We're back? What happened?" He looked at his friend confusedly.

"You don't remember?" John asked, watching him intently.

Frankly, all the intense staring was starting to freak Rodney out. "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't," Rodney snipped angrily. "What _happened_?"

John hesitated, eyes darting away for a moment. This instantly put Rodney at attention, fear gripping him. "Sheppard?"

"Ye had a heat stroke," Carson said, returning back to the bed with a nasty looking needle.

Rodney immediately backpedaled, pointing an accusing finger at him. "What do you think you're going to do with that needle?"

"A need to give ye some more vitamins to replenish ye system."

"I think I'm replenished enough," Rodney squeaked out, batting Carson's hand and subsequently the needle away. "There are more important things to do! Like what happened to the aliens!"

Carson paused, giving him a curious look. "The natives?"

"The natives? _The natives?_" he shrieked hysterically. "What about the creatures that ate them and the expedition and were making mince meat of us!"

A worried look overcame Carson and he thankfully put the needle away. He came over and put his hand on Rodney's forehead, despite the protests otherwise. "Are ye feeling alright? Headaches? Drowsiness?"

"Stop it!" Rodney swatted the hand away. "Sheppard! Tell him about the aliens!"

But John wasn't looking at him but rather purposely staring at a spot on the wall. He gave him a guilty look and opened his mouth to speak.

Carson beat him to the punch. "It's common to hallucinate or have wild dreams when having a heat stroke. As far as a know, ye encountered no problems on the mission."

Rodney felt as if the wind was taken from his sails and he slumped back down on the bed. "No problems?" he said weakly. He's eyes roamed back to John, but the man was already being hustled out of the room by Carson.

"Rodney obviously needs his rest," he was telling John, hand on his shoulders gently guiding him out. "Ye can see him when he's feeling a wee bit better."

John finally met Rodney's eyes and gave him a crooked grin. "I'll see you when you get out. Get better quickly, alright?"

Despite the encouraging of Carson and his evil minions, Rodney refused to sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, the walls seemed to close in on him and a primal fear would overtake him which generally led him to thrashing about and landing harshly on the ground.

In the end, Rodney only lasted a half-hour before demanding to read the report of the mission. He personally felt that he had been very patient, but Carson didn't seem to think so. So when Carson disappeared to do whatever voodoo magic he usually did, he started to sweet talk one of the nurses.

Okay, so it wasn't really sweet talking as much as demanding in a nicer tone. Okay, maybe not even a nice tone. But it worked! At least to some degree. He didn't get the report (much to his dismay) but apparently he made such a big fuss that Lorne came in to talk to him about the mission.

Lorne was surprisingly patient despite Rodney's harsh questions and irritated attitude and Rodney couldn't help but feel that Sheppard had something to do with that. Unfortunately, everything Lorne said indicated that it had indeed been a hallucination, much to his chagrin. His mind was something Rodney valued highly and considered to be pretty much his only weapon. He couldn't help but feel discomforted that it had tricked him so badly.

"I can't believe we got ourselves caught like that," Lorne laughed lightly. "I mean, it was bad enough that Dr. Galeia and most of his team got stuck in that stupid building. Colonel Sheppard is never going to let me live this down."

"And the other members of the expedition and the villagers were out in the forest in some kind of festival, right?" Rodney queried, still trying to understand the events that occurred on the planet.

"Yeah, apparently there was a lot of drinking involved, which is why they didn't contact us back when we tried earlier."

"And the building itself?"

"Some kind of remnant form the old civilization," came the quick reply. "It was pretty spooky in there with all those trap doors. It was like a maze! We were lucky you found us."

Rodney hummed lightly, leaning back in his bed, his mind attempting to process the information.

Lorne paused, his face still open and friendly. "I'm sure it'll all come back to you."

Rodney nodded, waving his hand at Lorne in dismissal. "Thank you for debriefing me. I've got to con Carson into getting me out of here now."

Lorne grinned. "Alright, see you later. By the way, John told me that you better show up for pizza night tonight." He jumped up and left the infirmary, leaving Rodney alone again with his thoughts.

It turned out convincing Carson wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be. He just needed to say he felt fine and stand up for five minutes without fainting. Easy. He took off down the hall, immediately heading towards his lab. If there was any way to ease his mind, he would find it in his projects.

However, he still felt ill despite what he had told Carson. His throat was sore and he constantly felt hot, sweating inappropriately even though he knew it was cool out. And the fear still lurked at the pit of his stomach, waiting to engulf him completely.

He knew he shouldn't be afraid or scared, and he couldn't help but feel a bit silly. Everything that Lorne had said made sense. A lot more sense than some evil aliens coming and eating everyone and being birthed from peoples chests.

He shuddered.

He himself had commented earlier on how Dr. Galeia was brash and prone to accidents. But damn. He hesitated. Perhaps he should talk to Sheppard.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he changed his direction to head towards where his friend usually trained.

The hand came out of nowhere, grabbing his shoulder and suddenly he was face to face with Radek. "Where have you been?" the scientist queried.

One of Rodney's' eyebrows rose. "Places. Why?"

"We need you down at the lab." Radek replied. "Dr. Kusanagi has discovered very interesting."

"Really?" Rodney asked, eyes lighting up. "What is it?" He allowed himself to be steered down the hallway. "Wait, Kusanagi?" He eyed his fellow scientist wearily. "Just what exactly is it?"

"You'll see," Radek said cryptically.

Rodney just shrugged and headed down to the labs, all thoughts of talking to Sheppard gone.

* * *

Rodney stared out at the sea as he leaned against the railing, allowing the cool wind to caress his face. The darkened sea raged against the side of Atlantis, spraying Rodney's face with droplets of its' water. Stars gleamed from above in the pitch black sky, creating a haunting contrast that became aglow upon the sea like fire.

He felt monumentally better since this morning. Kusanagi did indeed find something rather interesting and he had spent a better portion of the day working on it. The pizza party had been a bit of a letdown mostly because had to force himself away from his work and he didn't even to get to speak to Sheppard. At least the pizza was good.

Rodney closed his eyes, allowing the fresh air to hit his face and take away his worries momentarily. He should probably get back to work, he reasoned.

The door behind him opened and he slowly opened his eyes. Light poured in from the hallway behind him, a shadow gleaming onto the space beside him.

"Sheppard," he said, turning around to face the owner of the shadow. It had been pretty easy to deduce who it was as the shadow had rather spiky hair. "What are you doing here?"

John was giving him that look again that made his stomach curl and tense. Shadows danced along his face and his eyes were filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

The railing suddenly seemed cold to the touch and the spray of the sea no longer friendly and inviting but sharp and painful. Rodney frowned, ignoring his pounding heart that had been trying to tell him the entire day that something was terribly wrong. Instead, he gave a nervous smile. "For the pizza, right? I could have sworn I asked for Canadian bacon last pizza party."

Johns' face was unchanging, like as statue. "I'm sorry," he repeated. He walked forward briskly and pulled Rodney into a tight embrace, arms wrapped protectively around him. "I promise you Rodney. I promise that I'll find you."

Rodney froze. "What? What are you talking about? I'm right here!"

John pulled out of the hug, but did not release his friend. His hand still gripped Rodney's shoulders tightly, unwilling to let go. "You're going to have to wake up now."

Thunder roared in the background indicating a storm brewing. Coldness seeped into Rodney, his body starting to shake as the fear that had been curled up all day started to uncoil. "I don't understand what you're talking about. I _am_ awake!"

John looked sadly down at him. "No, you aren't. This is your subconscious. You created it in response to what was happening in the real world. I've been trying to find you, but you're a hard man to locate, even in your mind." He gave a crooked grin.

Rodney felt his knees go weak and slowly started his decent towards the hard, unforgiving ground. "This isn't real? But then, what is?" He looked up into Johns' eyes and immediately knew. The expedition, the deaths, the aliens. He choked. "But why am I dreaming? What happened?"

All around him the structures started to melt. The walls turned a dull color and turned into a gooey mass, slowly trailing down to the ground which had suddenly turned black like an infinite abyss. The sky outside collapsed into the sea, the stars falling like meteors no longer held up in the sky by his mind.

_It wasn't real._

"Those creatures got you," John replied softly, kneeling down in the puddle of goo. "They took you back to the hatchery."

Rodney gasped as memories flooded him. His stomach did another flip, and he had the sudden sick realization that maybe it wasn't just his nerves but something else entirely. "Oh God." He couldn't stop the sob from bubbling forth as he clung to Johns' jacket for all his life. "There's one of those _things_ inside me, isn't there?"

Silence met his query. But he knew the answer already.

"I saw what happened to the expedition!" Rodney cried out, eyes frantically looking into his friends' imaginary ones. "One of those _things_ is going to come out of me! I don't want to die that way!"

John grabbed Rodney's head and forced him to look into his eyes. They stared at one another for several seconds, Rodney trying to get a hold of himself. "I'm going to find you. I promise."

"How can you find me if you are just a part of my subconscious?" Rodney asked hoarsely.

"Because imaginary or not, John Sheppard would _never_ stop looking for his friends. You know that. We are _going_ to find you. I promise. And we are _going_ to get that thing out of you. Everything is going to be okay. Just don't give up."

Rodney swallowed thickly, allowing himself to nod slightly.

John responded back with his own nod and a soft, grim smile. "You just have to do one thing for me."

"Wake up."

Rodney's eyes flung open and he screamed.


	10. Chapter Nine

Rodney is OOC due to delirium and John curses a lot. This is the last chapter and it turned out to be longer than the others. There is an epilogue so no worries. :) Though that _will_ be short. I'll plan on getting it out pretty soon.

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed since last chapter. I don't own anything.

* * *

_ "Because imaginary or not, John Sheppard would never stop looking for his friends. You know that. We are going to find you. I promise. And we are going to get that thing out of you. Everything is going to be okay. Just don't give up."_

_Rodney swallowed thickly, allowing himself to nod slightly._

_John responded back with his own nod and a soft, grim smile. "You just have to do one thing for me."_

_"Wake up."_

_Rodney's eyes flung open and he screamed._

Chapter Nine

Three small beams of light shined brightly down the darkened hallways, a beacon of light in an otherwise dismal area. All around them the resin stretched down from the walls and ceiling with an occasional strand falling slowly towards the ground.

Sweat rolled down Johns' face but he ignored it, focusing instead on the task before him. He moved quietly and swiftly down the corridors, his gun swinging back and forth as it illuminated the walls, nooks, and crannies. He was already at a brisk jog, moving down the maze of hallways, unwilling to stop for a moment to even catch his breath.

Ronon and Teyla were behind him, their guns sizing up the area and determining threat levels. They were some distance away, unable to keep up with John's rather urgent run through the corridor. More than that, they were keeping tabs on where they were and where they were not since they no longer had the schematic of the building. Occasionally, Ronon would shout up which direction to when there was a fork, letting John know that they were indeed still behind him as he had neither the time nor patience to turn around and check.

He was completely focused upon the task before him, unwilling to let his mind drift to the very real possibility that he might not find Rodney. He remembered the shock at finally making it to the Jumper only to realize that someone very important was missing. The shock had turned to horror when he realized what must have happened.

Lorne had wanted to stay, but in the end John convinced him to take his team and what was left of the expedition back to Atlantis. Before they went, they took down most of the creatures that had been chasing them, to Johns' satisfaction, paving the way for them to get back into the complex.

John prayed they would be in time. No. They _would_ be in time to save Rodney and get the hell out of here. There was no other possibility.

He turned the corner sharp and froze. His shoes skidded on the ground and his arms flailed to try and balance him, but in the end it was Ronon who pulled him back from the gaping hole in the ground before him. "Thanks," he muttered, taking several deep breaths of air to appease his burning lungs.

Looking at the hole before him, he couldn't help but feel his stomach drop. It was mammoth, taking up the entire hallway with the exception of a small ridge right next to the wall. The ground looked like it had been melted and it caved downwards into a dark abyss, tendrils of slime and concrete hanging off the edges. From where he was standing he couldn't see the bottom below.

"Perhaps we should turn back. There could be another passage we missed." Teyla spoke with reason, but John knew better. They didn't have time to retrace their footsteps. They would lose too much time.

He peered again at the ridge next to the wall. It was small but wide enough to fit a person. The walls were still melting, but he could see several good indentations in the wall that would be good enough to hold on to.

Ronon seemed to follow his train of thought. "Cover me." He walked over to the edge and fearlessly grabbed onto the walls, swinging his legs over and onto the ridge. Once his footing was secure, he started scuttling across to the other side.

"How's it going?" John asked, his P-90 up and pointing at the area Ronon was currently headed.

A grunt was the only response. Ronon finally reached the end of the gap and threw himself onto the other side and onto solid ground. His knife was out and ready for any attack but none came. He turned slightly towards them and waved at them to follow.

John was next. Shouldering his gun, he walked over to the edge and hesitantly got a hold of the wall and pulled himself out on the ridge. He could feel the slime ooze between his fingers, but he ignored it as he moved over. Ronon and Teyla were on either side, watching for anything moved but the hole was what worried him the most. He couldn't see anything. No doubt it would be the perfect spot for an ambush which he knew for sure that the creatures were smart enough to set up.

Something gleamed down the hole and he peered down. That was all that was needed for him to lose his focus. His hand touched a particularly weak part of the wall and the slime came off suddenly making him lose his grip. John found himself in a free fall, falling down into the dark hole. In his peripheral he saw Ronon lunge for him but he wasn't fast enough.

John plunged into the hole.

He only had a moment to prepare for the impact. He slammed hard into the ground with a loud crunch, pain exploding in his back and his head. Groaning lightly, he slowly got into a sitting position his body screaming in protest.

Something was moving beneath him.

He slowly reached down and grabbed it, pulling his gun out to view it in the light. White gleamed up at him. His gasp echoed throughout the room and he quickly threw it at the wall where it shattered upon impact.

He was sitting in a pile of human bones.

Standing up quickly, he found ground that didn't have any remains on it and looked up, casting his light towards the entrance of the hole. He could hear them calling his name. Probably not the smartest move, but neither of them had radios.

He waved his flashlight around. "I'm alright," he called up.

"How far of a drop is it?" Ronon called down, intent clear.

John frowned, looking at the rising walls. "About fourteen feet. Though I wouldn't advise just jumping down," he added quickly.

"We will find another way down," Teyla replied. "Just stay there and we will be there soon."

"Okay!" John gave a thumbs-up before realizing they couldn't seem him at all. Sighing, he returned to the room he was in, analyzing it in more detail. It appeared that he was in no immediate danger as he could neither see nor hear any creatures nearby, nor were there any more holes to fall down. Something gleamed out at him again, making him stop and turn towards the object. Moving the flashlight in the direction of the object, he slowly stalked forward until he reached it.

His face went white as he picked it up with shaking hands. It felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice on him. Reality slowly sunk in, as he stared at Rodney's bloody gun that the chance of finding his friend alive just dwindled even more.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Slime slowly made its descent down the walls of the hatchery creating a sticky mess upon the ground below. Many of the used eggs had already started to wilt while many of the un-hatched were glistening with fresh slime.

Rodney lay at a sixty degree angle from the wall, the slime that once held him stationary coming apart no longer able to hold his weight. At this position he had a clear visual of the creature that had attached itself to him only moments before. It was dead now, just a rotting corpse on the ground, but Rodney knew that it had done its' job.

It had laid the egg.

Rodney whimpered and tugged again at the slime. He felt weak and fatigued and every jerk and pull drained him even more. But he refused to allow himself to give up. Not after everything.

Another tug.

His arm fell loose. Not having the energy to keep the arm up it swayed downwards, swinging back and forth wildly.

"One down," he mumbled, turning to look at the other arm.

Something (okay, he knew what) rumbled in his stomach and a sharp pain shot throughout his body. He gasped then winced, his throat sore from the violation. "You keep quiet down there. I haven't figured out how to get you out yet."

He tugged at the other arm and watched as the slim slowly stretched to its' limit before giving away with a snap. He was suddenly pitched forward as his front half was no longer attached to anything. The floor was entirely too close to his face for comfort and he attempted to right himself with no avail.

"I'm going to die half upside down," he wailed silently to himself. It wasn't exactly the kind of death he had pictured for himself. Perhaps something nobler and a little less humiliating. "At least you'll have a drop once you get out," he added scathingly to the little thing in his stomach. "Maybe it'll give you brain damage." A pause. "Or whatever you have for a brain."

Looking forward, he realized that there was an egg nearby. Slowly and painfully he lifted his heavy arms and grabbed the egg. He pulled his body up and towards the egg, away from the slime that held him captive. The slime gave way with a horrible squelching sound followed by a pop and Rodney was suddenly free.

He felt like he was floating for a moment before reality sank in and he fell harshly onto the ground, face first into the dead carcass. Letting out another scream (that wasn't girlish in any way) he back peddled as fast as his tired limbs could carry him. Hands frantically swiped at his face, determined to get some of the decaying pieces of the body off him that may or may not be there.

His throat suddenly constricted and he leaned over just in time as a burst of vomit sprayed from his mouth and onto the ground. He gagged as the putrid liquid filled his mouth, his taste buds overwhelmed with the rancid taste of vomit. His nostrils flared in protest as he attempted to spit all the he could from his mouth. The taste stayed however, much to his chagrin.

Panting, he leaned back against the slimy wall behind him and closed his eyes. The world was spinning too fast and his head was pounding angrily. He felt his body relax as much as it could, an overwhelming tiredness overcoming him. Perhaps he should just stay and rest for a moment.

_"Rodney."_

Rodney jumped, eyes flying open to look for the source of the voice but found nothing. He shuddered involuntarily. Was he hearing things now?

Shaking his head lightly, immediately regretting the action as dizziness threatened to consume him, he pulled himself up. "Got to find an exit," he mumbled. His stomach appeared to rumble in agreement. Hunched over, he began stumbling towards one of the corridors to the right, remembering that it had been the corridor they had used once they had found Sheppard.

He peered into the hallway, looking for anything that would to eat and/or kill him. Finding it to be devoid of anything hostile, he started to head down, his hand tracing the walls to get his bearings.

He was going to get out of here.

* * *

Outwardly John was the picture of stoicism. In his mind, he was swearing and cursing so much that even a sailor would blush. He tore down the corridor no longer paying much attention to stealth or his surroundings, shouting out his friends' name.

He was sure Teyla and Ronon were somewhere behind him, a part of his brain realizing that being split up from them was not the best idea. But the clock in his mind that had set ever since Rodney had disappeared was climbing higher and higher. The longer he was gone the more time he spent in the hatchery.

Just the mere thought made him speed up, recklessly running around corners and past open rooms. The Jumpers' attack on the creatures had given them quite the window, he realized. He knew, however, that it would be too much to ask for all of them to have been outside the complex when they opened fire. Either way, the creatures hadn't bothered them once since entering which he was extremely grateful for. He had more important things to think about.

"There!" Teyla called out and he saw it: the opening into one of the central rooms. It was as large as he remembered as he entered with abandon, running past the various other corridor entrances and the various eggs. He did a quick sweep of the area and found it lacking anyone named Rodney.

He froze in mid-step, eyes widening at the implication. "Dammit!" He punched the wall nearest to him, immediately regretting the action as it sent waves of pain up his arm.

Teyla and Ronon caught up with him and stopped beside him. Teyla had a deep frown on her face. "This is a good thing that he has managed to escape on his own."

"Yeah?" John growled angrily. "And just how are we supposed to find him now?"

"He went that way," Ronon rumbled, pointing to a familiar looking corridor.

John looked up at him in shock. "Thought you couldn't track in here with all this secreted stuff everywhere."

Ronon silently pointed to the ground.

John resisted the urge to smack himself as he noticed the vague shoe imprints in the gooey ground that headed towards that particular corridor. "Right," he mumbled embarrassedly.

An egg to the right of him suddenly opened.

John twitched. It only took a moment to analyze the only two options they had and make a decision. He quickly brought his gun up and shot the egg and its' contents, satisfied when he noticed the familiar colored blood spray out of the egg.

Unfortunately, just as he predicted they heard the sounds of the creatures as they suddenly came back out of the wood work.

A new sound made them freeze in their tracks.

It was similar to the previous noises the creatures made but it was louder, stronger, and with it came a certain emotion that John certainly hadn't been expecting. It was a mix of anger and anguish. He recognized it from the times he had to personally tell family members that their son or daughter had died. It was the sound of a mother who learned that her children were dying, John realized with a shudder.

"Shit," he whispered as the implications dawned on him. The creatures were so damned organized. Of _course_ there was someone behind the scenes, pulling the strings.

"I think it's time to get out of here. _Now_."

No objections met his statement and in a moment they were tearing down the correct corridor, the wailing incessantly following them. All John could do was pray they outran whatever was back there and that Rodney was close by and unharmed.

Shadows jumped out in front of them, hissing and spitting at them as they blocked the way out.

"Dammit!"

* * *

Lights lit the way with an unnatural glow. The ground appeared to be getting bumpier and harder as Rodney walked and the walls were as slimy as ever. But still, he persevered. Occasionally, he heard rustling on the sides, but he had realized early on that they wouldn't kill him.

He had been attacked early on in his escape. It had come out of nowhere, creeping up on him through the shadows. It had easily knocked Rodney to the ground, using gravity and its' own weight to body keep him pinned to the ground. Its' tail had swung dangerously above, pointed down at him as if waiting to strike.

It had halted, however, in its' attack, sniffing him almost like a dog, drool dripping carelessly upon his shirt. Its' sniffing had stopped at his stomach and it had immediately let out a soft hiss before disappearing back to the darkness of the corridors.

It had been both a blessing and a horrifying conclusion: the creatures wouldn't kill him as long as he was fostering the next evil-creature-to-be.

His condition had, in fact, worsened. He couldn't stop shaking and just standing was a tremendous effort. His head was woozy and felt as if he were submerged under water. The hallucinations hadn't stopped either as his name kept on floating towards him from seemingly random directions with an urgency he hadn't been expecting. His stomach, however, was the worst as a constant pain was now setting in along with grumbling, to which he had remarked, "I'm giving you a free ride and food! You shouldn't be complaining this much."

He knew he wasn't going to last much longer. The fact that he had made it his far without any exploding aliens was a miracle in itself, but it was all going to come to a close soon. And unfortunately the last act would end with his entrails spraying all over the room like some kind of demented finger painting.

He winced again as another sharp pain wracked his body, starting from his stomach. Clenching his eyes and bearing his teeth, he held onto the wall until the spasms stopped. He panted and leaned against the slick surface, his glazed eyes downcast. He needed to find Sheppard fast. Or was it Sheppard who was supposed to find him? He ignored the thought, his brain too muddled to deal with it at the moment.

The hallway in front of him split into two directions and he hesitated. He knew he was supposed to remember something about which way to go, but at the moment it failed him. He cursed lightly and looked forlornly at both as if the walls themselves would come to life and tell him the correct way.

A high-pitched howl made Rodney start in surprise. He peered back down the way he had come, eyes narrowing in thought. He was pretty sure he hadn't caused that. After all, all he did was leave the hatchery area and he doubted it mattered where his chest burst as long as it eventually did. Thus, he deduced, since it wasn't him it had to have been…His eyes widened with hope. Sheppard!

He quickly turned around and headed back the way he had come. A small portion of his mind reasonably said that turning around probably wasn't a good idea and that he should continue to head for the exit. The part of his delirious mind that was dominating him at the moment cried 'Sheppard, Sheppard, Sheppard!'.

Faster than he thought possible, he stumbled down the corridor towards the noise and where he had no doubt he would find Sheppard. Danger always flocked to him like moth to a flame.

It was while Rodney was questioning why he was still on the team if Sheppard was so hazardous that he turned the corner and slammed into someone. Or rather, someone else slammed in to him. All his random musings instantly disappeared once he the person who had rather bodily smashed into him.

"Sheppard!"

Of all the things John had expected them to run into, it wasn't Rodney. And he definitely didn't think literally. Yet, as they ran away from the horrible screeching of an angry mother, he looked away for one second and suddenly he hit something and they both went down. He half expected that he had run into one of those creatures. Danger did seem to flock to him after all. But a surprised and slightly feverish looking Rodney? Nope. Wasn't expecting that at all.

"Sheppard!" Rodney cried out a little too happily. John didn't like the glazed look in his friend's eyes.

He ignored his bubbling questions in favor of hauling his friend back to his feet. "Rodney, you're alright."

Beside him, Teyla was beaming. "This is wonderful news."

Rodney grimaced, opening his mouth then closing it, before opening it once more. "Aren't you supposed to be running?"

John blinked before grabbing onto Rodney's arm tightly and dragging him beside him as they continued forward again. They had lost precious seconds, but finding Rodney made up for that tenfold.

"So what did you do now Sheppard?" Rodney was panting rather harshly beside him and was having obvious problems keeping up, but still managed to sound slightly amused.

John was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You definitely angered the crap out of something."

"The hell?" John grumbled, taking another corner sharp. "It could have been Ronon with the way he's been destroying these things."

"I agree with Rodney," Ronon spoke up.

"No ganging up on me," John called out, grunting as he had to forcefully stop Rodney from plummeting to the ground again. Despite the levity of their conversation, his concern for his friend was increasing exponentially. He was now virtually carrying Rodney, as his friend had almost given up running in favor of leaning heavily against him. Even Rodneys' head was down as if he didn't even have the energy to keep it up. The feverish look and obvious discomfort wasn't helping. The faster they could get out of the building, the better.

It was because of his concern he didn't realize it until Teyla spoke up and stopped them. It had gone completely silent. The screams and hissing that had been chasing him were suddenly gone, silence stifling the corridor and its' occupants.

John tensed, unconsciously tightening his grip on Rodney who was now standing unsteadily at his side. He could feel his blood rushing in his ears, dominating his hearing as he attempted to pick up even the subtlest of signs of noise from anything other than them.

Nothing.

John turned a weary look back at Teyla and Ronon who looked just as tense as he felt. "Keep an eye out." They had to be extra cautious now. Loud noises could tell you where they were coming from; with silence they would only hear the enemy until it was too late.

They continued forward, their pace not quite as fast as it had been. They took more caution when going by rooms and turning corners, making sure that nothing was waiting for them. John couldn't help but silently thank the heat for making it impossible for the creatures to be lying in wait upon the walls. It was one less thing they had to worry about.

John was overjoyed when he spotted the familiar fork that would ultimately lead to the exit. They were so close.

Down the corridor, the shadows moved.

It was monstrous.

Easily twice the size as the others, it had to bend awkwardly in the corridor in order to fit. Its' head was drastically different than the others, flattening out the further it went from the mouth looking almost like a crown. Its' body looked more skeletal, the skin just as leathery. The protrusions were sharper and more defined, jutting out at impossible angles.

Drool slowly dripped from its' mouth as it opened to let another, smaller one out. It bit out at the air, a deep, guttural hiss escaping. Sharp claws clenched and unclenched, its' tail whipping dangerously behind it almost in anticipation.

John stiffened, drawing Rodney behind him as Ronon and Teyla slowly came up beside him. The creature, no doubt the leader (mother?), was on the other side of the corridor. The corridor leading to the exit sat tantalizingly between them and the odious creature.

"We can make it," Ronon spoke up, seemingly reading Johns' mind.

John sent a quick look at Rodney, who was now slumped against the wall instead of him. Perhaps they could if they were all in top shape. As it was they weren't in perfect condition and the new creature had unknown qualities. No doubt it would be hard for the creature to move, but it could be too risky to attempt to try and get through with no understanding of the creatures' speed.

John peered behind them, wondering if going back and around would be better.

Angry hissing was the solution to his conundrum as shadows moved tauntingly slowly towards them as if the creatures knew they were trapped.

Ronon had already turned to face the new threat, knife gleaming in the darkened light.

John looked at Teyla who nodded in agreement. He quickly grabbed Rodney and pulled him close. "We're going for it," he whispered to his friend.

Glazed eyes gave him a confused look. "Are you insane?"

"Well its' either that or be chop suey," he quipped. "It'll be alright." A small nod to Teyla and Ronon and they were off.

Screams came from all directions, the creatures obviously realizing what was happening. The shadows behind them rushed forward hissing and reaching out with their clawed hands.

A terrible screech of metal being scratched reverberated through the corridor. Before them the mother was moving forward, hunkered down from the small corridor. The sharp spikes that stuck out of the creature was digging into the ceiling and creating deep gouges as it moved forward. Claws extended outwards as if to grab and its' mouth was open wide, drool falling freely to the ground.

Teyla rushed ahead, taking point and slipping easily around the corner. John, was still hindered by Rodney and realized that he most likely wouldn't make it. He waved at Ronon to go ahead but his attempts were met with resistance as Ronon refused to go forward, opting instead to watch their backs.

The mother was coming towards them at alarming speed, barreling down on them all claws and teeth.

They reached the fork at the same time and John barely had time to duck as it slammed its' head into the wall nearest them. John could feel the claws tearing at him, hooking his clothes, but he jerked away taking Rodney with him. He could feel fresh wind against his back signaling that his shirt had indeed been ripped.

Behind him there was a shriek of pain and suddenly Ronon was next to them, his knife gone. John gave him a quick signal and a moment later his gun was gone and in the others' hand. John peered ahead and quickly found Teyla already at the door, opening it and checking for any surprises.

"Sheppard," Rodney called weakly.

"Not now," he hissed back lightly. Behind them, Ronon was already letting out short controlled bursts and John had not doubt that they were right behind them.

The light came upon them suddenly, dunking them in its' rays and momentarily blinding them. John stumbled a bit before regaining his gait and continuing forward to the place he knew the Stargate to be. It was still a fair amount away, the Jumper making it only feel as if it was within close distance.

Frankly, he wasn't sure if they would make it if the queen made it out in the open. The thing moved fast enough as it was being squished within the confines of the wall. He didn't want to deal with it out once it could move freely.

Teyla darted near them, giving John a look. "They're coming."

He shivered, momentarily looking back. Ronon was barreling down after them, gun held stiffly in his hands. Behind him the shadows almost appeared to be growing from the entrance to the complex, spilling out and into the lighted outside. A high pitched screech made them scatter and the mother daintily stepped outside. It stopped for a moment, tilting its' rather large head as if examining the scenery before her.

John looked away before he could see it move. He wasn't eager to see how fast it could move nor how quickly it could catch up.

"Sheppard," Rodney whimpered lightly beside him.

John pulled Rodney closer as he was now practically dragging the man. Several more shots rang out behind them followed by several bouts of howls. The noise was far too close for comfort.

They weren't going to make it.

The fact hit him as hard as the creature behind him did. It smashed into both of them, sending them sprawling to the ground. Rodney rolled limply off to the side as John crashed bodily into the ground.

The creature ignored Rodney completely and immediately attacked John. John moved his head just as its' tail stroke the ground, nicking his cheek and drawing blood. He attempted to punch the thing in the head, momentarily stunning the creature, before attempting to scuttle out and away from it.

It recovered quicker than he had anticipated and lept for him, bloody claws reaching out to slice him.

Bullets bore into its' body and it fell in a twisted, twitching heap of melting blood.

John looked up expecting Teyla but was surprised to see Lorne grinning brightly at him. Behind him, the Jumper squat, a beacon of hope.

"About time." John couldn't help the grin the spread across his face as he watched more military personnel appear around them, shooting at the creatures. He took Lorne's hand and got up quickly heading over to Rodney.

His friend groaned lightly as he was pulled back on his feet and dragged towards the Jumper where Teyla was already waiting. She helped John pull the limp body into the Jumper and away from the opening as to avoid being trampled by other incoming people.

John took only a moment to look behind them and accept that the situation was being controlled before turning back to Rodney. His friends face was flushed, eyes feverish looking, sweat rolling down his face and matting his hair.

"You're burning up," Teyla said softly, removing her hand from his forehead before glancing worriedly at John. "We should get him to Atlantis quickly."

John nodded as she went to the driver and took over, hovering over his friend. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" came the cranky, but shaky reply. Glazed eyes turned to him but still managed a glare.

People started pouring in behind them, cramping them slightly in the corner. "Do you want to try and sit up?" John asked, vaguely wondering if it would give them more space.

Rodney blinked owlishly. "I'd rather not. This is rather comfortable." A faraway look spread across his face. "Maybe I should move my quarters here. It's far more comfortable than my bed."

"If you ever slept in it," John quipped, worry only growing at the random rambling.

A wince flickered across Rodneys' face and he unconsciously moved a hand to the painful area: his chest.

John watched his moment, brows furrowing. Around them, people held on to various places as the Jumper took off and headed back to Atlantis.

"Rodney? Is your chest hurting?"

"Hmm?" Rodneys' eyes slowly dragged back to Johns' then slowly made their way to his chest where his hand was resting. "Oh, yeah." He said it like a surprise, as if he had forgotten.

A deep and familiar feeling was winding around John, curling around his throat and constricting it. "Rodney, why does your chest hurt?" He wasn't sure how he kept his voice so calm.

Rodney blinked sluggishly, already battling gravity as it moved to close his eyes. "Oh. I got myself a new pet. I think I'll name 'im Schrödinger."

There was silence. "Okay," John said numbly, his mind temporarily uncomprehending. It only lasted several blissful seconds before the horror of the situation refreshed his mind and kicked him back into gear. He didn't let his eyes move from Rodney. "Teyla. How close are we to Atlantis?"

"We are still five minutes away."

"Ah." John nodded to himself, gently tapping Rodney on his cheek to keep him from going to sleep. "Can we get there a bit quicker? And call for Carson?"

Teyla was next to him in an instant. "Yes, I can. What is wrong John?"

John finally turned from his friend, unable to keep the fear from leaking into his voice and shining through his eyes. "One of _them_ is in Rodney."

Teyla stiffened and without a word marched back up to the front.

John turned back to his friend only to find Rodney's eyes had already closed, the only signs of life being his soft laborious breathing. "Rodney, wake up." He whacked his friends face again, not feeling guilty in the slightest. "Rodney, come on, stay awake. Rodney?" More slapping. "Rodney! Wake up!"

"Rodney!"


	11. Epilogue

This is the end! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing and actually finishing it.

Also, I've never really understood why the creatures manifested in a human's chest when they were _ingested_. So for all intents and purposes, the aliens incubate in the stomach before attempting to leave through the esophagus. From there, they decide that bursting through the chest would be so much more fun. That's how it's going to be so just accept it. ;)

Also, for some reason Rodney _really _likes Canadian bacon. lol I don't know why but it was in chapter eight as well. I guess he's just patriotic. XD

Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'.

* * *

_Epilogue_

It was dark but he could hear the noises around him. A rhythmic beeping came from somewhere nearby and hushed whispering even further away. It smelled sterile and he suddenly became aware of a pinching feeling in his arm but more importantly an oddly hollow sensation in his stomach area.

He slowly opened his eyes, the world a mess of blurry outlines. He unconsciously let out a groan and immediately the atmosphere changed. Two blurry figures suddenly appeared in his line of vision.

He flinched when a beam of light was forced into his line of sight. "Are ye' alright?"

Rodney blinked numbly, his mind flashing back to memories that weren't real. Was _this_ real? "Carson?"

"Ay', it's me lad." The light disappeared along with the fuzzy outline. "How are ye' feeling?"

Rodney quickly surveyed the room and quickly spotted John sitting on one of the stools near him. He had what looked to be a cut on his cheek and had an overall haggard appearance about him.

"Uh, what happened?" His voice was hoarse and it was hard to force the words out. Carson seemed to notice this and disappeared only to come back with some water.

Rodney gratefully took it, watching John and waiting for any signs of it being an illusion.

"You tried to get a pet," John said, grinning lightly but looked more relieved than anything else. "If you wanted one so bad we could've gotten you one of those harmless little critters from the mainland."

The water was soothing on his aching throat. "How did we get out?" he asked more to himself. The last bit was a blur. The only thing he remembered for certain was seeing a rather huge creature blocking their path and Johns' suicidal idea to run past it.

"Major Lorne came back for us en masse," John replied. "Good thing too 'cause we wouldn't have made it the way those things were coming out of the wood work."

"Huh."

"We notified Carson ahead of time so when we made it through the 'Gate he was ready for you."

"Ay' and it was a good thing a was too." Carson took the water away. "We heard about those _things_ from one of Lornes' team. A already had an idea of how to remove it."

"You removed it?" Rodney asked incredulously.

"Ay' a did. It took quite a while but we managed to safely get it out and John was nice enough to get rid of it."

"Apparently," John leaned forward, looking unnaturally excited about this next part, "they had to take a chunk of your stomach out."

Rodney froze. "What? What do you mean they took my stomach out?"

"Calm down before ye' hurt yourself," Carson interjected before sending a glare at John. "Only a part of it. Ye' will be just fine. Ye' will just have to cut back on how much ye' eat."

"Yeah, you're going to have to eat healthy." John was giving him a pitying look. "I know how hard that will be for you."

Rodney glared at him, sulking in his bed. "Har-har Sheppard. I'm hypoglycemic! Remember? What happens if I can't eat?"

"Quit being such a drama queen." John grinned, ignoring Rodney's squawk of protest. "You can eat all you want. You just need to eat a bunch of little meals."

Carson hummed. "It shouldn't be too much of a change in habit. Nothing to worry about."

"Says you," Rodney grumbled, ignoring the smiles and grins the two exchanged. "So Teyla and Ronon are alright?"

John turned back to his friend. "Yeah, they got a clean bill of health. And you'll be happy to know that M5S-687 has officially been black-listed from our database."

"Good," Rodney huffed, leaning back lightly and enjoying the small comfort of a bed with no aliens in sight. "Did the scientists manage to save any of their data?"

John rolled his eyes. "Yes and no you can't look at it."

"But-but! That's not fair! You can sneak it in, I know you can."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to. You need your rest."

"I can get my rest _and_ look at what they discovered."

"No, I don't think so. I think if I did something like that I would get murdered in myself."

"Who's being murdered?" came a soft question from beyond the white curtain.

Rodney jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of Teyla and Ronon but quickly zeroed in on the plate Ronon was carrying. It held blue jello on it.

Rodney couldn't help the sudden hunger the gnawed at him. Frankly, he wanted something in his throat that wasn't tubes or alien bits. "Is that for me?" he asked hopefully.

Ronon grunted in acknowledgment and handed the cup to Rodney who greedily took it. "Ronon, you are my new best friend."

"Hey!" John cried out. "No fair."

"Not taking it back."

"Well maybe I don't want it if it can be bought so easily with food."

Rodney stuck his tongue out at John before putting a spoonful of the delightful mass in his mouth.

Teyla took a step forward, a smile upon her lips. "I am glad you are up Rodney."

"Mm. Me too." Another spoonful. "Frankly, it's a miracle we all made it out," he commented between bites.

"Speaking of miracles." John leaned forward. "We're having pizza night tonight and we're having Canadian bacon."

Rodneys' eyes widened, blue jello forgotten. "What? We finally got the bacon?"

"Not bacon. Canadian bacon."

Teyla tilted her head slightly to the side. "Is there a difference?"

"Is there a difference?" Rodney squawked. "Is there a _difference_? Canadian bacon is far superior to its' counterpart. I suppose that's just because Canadians' do it better."

John rolled his eyes. "Of course with their Mounties, hockey, and mighty political power."

Rodney glared and jabbed his finger at him. "At least we _have_ Mounties. National treasures they are. And even you watch hockey."

John waved his hand at Rodney with dismissal.

"Would you like me to bring you a piece then?" Teyla queried, confused at the interaction and unfamiliar words.

Rodney lit up. It didn't last long, however, as John quickly spoke up. "Rodney's on a liquid diet." He eyed the food in his friend's hand. "Jello is the exception."

Rodney glowered angrily. "Not fair. The one time we get Canadian bacon and I can't have any."

"We could always put it in a blender." John grinned widely. "A pizza slushy. Doesn't that just sound delicious?"

Rodney glared at him. "Teyla, you have my permission to hit him."

"Teyla isn't going to hit me," John replied with a roll of his eyes. He was surprised, however, to see Teyla giving him an appraising look. "Teyla _isn't_ going hit me." More silence. "Right?"

"Not unless you get me some pizza," Rodney declared. "Minus the slushy part."

"Fine," John huffed. "I'll try to sneak one in. No promises though."

"And that scientific data," Rodney continued.

"Nope. I don't think so."

"Ronon?" Rodney tried.

"That's just not fair." John frowned. "Just because you're injured doesn't mean you can boss us around."

"Well I think that it means just that." Rodney crossed his arms.

Carson stepped back into the room with a frown on his face. "Ye' aren't going to be looking at any data until ye' are discharged. And no solid foods."

Rodney spluttered indignantly.

"And that's final." A smile. "A on the other hand would very much like a piece if ye' wouldn't mind bringing some back."

"No problem doc," John grinned. "We'll bring back a whole pizza back for you."

"I better be allowed to have a piece," Rodney said grumpily, looking hopefully at Carson.

"Don't worry lad, a will let you have some." Carson paused for dramatic effect. "A have always wanted to make a pizza slushy."

Rodney gaped in horror.

John grinned, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. Yeah. Everything was right in the world.

The End.


End file.
